New York A 7673: Enacts the "public education racial equity and diversity act"

Bill Text

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A07673 Summary:

BILL NOA07673 

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SAME ASSAME AS S06825

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SPONSORCunningham

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COSPNSRChandler-Waterman, Meeks

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §679-j, add §§3004-d, 3004-e & 3004-f, Ed L; amd §601, Tax L

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Relates to promoting equity and diversity in educational leadership and prioritize the issuance of new charters to community-based organizations run by individuals from historically underrepresented communities.

Go to top A07673 Actions:

BILL NOA07673 

&nbsp

04/04/2025referred to education

01/07/2026referred to education

Go to topA07673 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA07673 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA07673 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 7673

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 April 4, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law and the tax law, in relation to enact-
 ing the public education racial equity and diversity act

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "public
 2 education racial equity and diversity act".
 3 § 2. Section 679-j of the education law, as added by section 1 of part
 4 AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
 5 § 679-j. The New York state teacher loan forgiveness program. 1.
 6 Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness awards for
 7 the purpose of increasing the number of teachers serving in the state,
 8 generally, and the number of teachers serving in the state who meet the
 9 ethnic definition of minority group member, specifically.
 10 2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this subdivi-
 11 sion, applicants shall (a) be certified as a teacher; (b) be employed
 12 full time in this state in an elementary or secondary school; (c) comply
 13 with subdivisions three and five of section six hundred sixty-one of
 14 this part; (d) have an outstanding student loan debt; and (e) meet one
 15 of the following criteria:
 16 (i) teach in a shortage subject area;
 17 (ii) teach in a hard to staff district; [or]
 18 (iii) the applicant is economically disadvantaged, as defined by the
 19 corporation[.]; or
 20 (iv) the applicant meets the ethnic definition of minority group
 21 member as defined in article fifteen-A of the executive law.
 22 3. Definitions. For the purposes of this section[,]:
 23 (a) the term "shortage subject area" shall mean a curriculum subject
 24 matter or practice of teaching where there is a shortage of teachers in
 25 New York state, as designated by the department[, and];

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD11300-01-5

 A. 7673 2

 1 (b) the term "hard to staff school districts" shall mean school
 2 districts that have a shortage of teachers, as designated by the depart-
 3 ment[.]; and
 4 (c) the term "minority group member" shall mean a United States citi-
 5 zen or permanent resident alien who is and can demonstrate membership in
 6 one of the following groups:
 7 (i) Black persons having origins in any of the Black African racial
 8 groups;
 9 (ii) Hispanic/Latino persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican,
 10 Cuban, Central or South American of either Indian or Hispanic origin,
 11 regardless of race;
 12 (iii) Native American or Alaskan native persons having origins in any
 13 of the original peoples of North America;
 14 (iv) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the
 15 Far East countries, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the
 16 Pacific Islands.
 17 4. Priority. Such awards shall be made annually to applicants in the
 18 following priority:
 19 (a) First priority shall be given to applicants who have received
 20 payment of an award pursuant to this section in a prior year and who, in
 21 the year prior to application, are teachers [in] (i) in a subject short-
 22 age area, [or] (ii) in a hard to staff school district, or (iii) who
 23 meet the ethnic definition of minority group member;
 24 (b) Second priority shall be given to app