New York S 27: Provides for tuition assistance program awards for students experiencing homelessness

Status: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION (as of 2026-01-07)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: S 27

Sponsors: Robert Jackson, John Liu, Kristen Gonzalez, Lea Webb, Patricia Fahy

Bill Text

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S00027 Summary:

BILL NOS00027 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A10656

&nbsp

SPONSORJACKSON

&nbsp

COSPNSRFAHY, GONZALEZ, LIU, WEBB

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §§667, 661 & 663, Ed L

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Expands tuition assistance program awards for students experiencing homelessness.

Go to top S00027 Actions:

BILL NOS00027 

&nbsp

01/08/2025REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

02/03/20251ST REPORT CAL.220

02/04/20252ND REPORT CAL.

02/05/2025ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 

02/11/2025PASSED SENATE

02/11/2025DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

02/11/2025referred to higher education

01/07/2026died in assembly

01/07/2026returned to senate

01/07/2026REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Go to topS00027 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS00027 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS00027 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 27

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to tuition assistance
 program awards for students experiencing homelessness

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

 1 Section 1. The opening paragraph of item 1 of clause (A) of subpara-
 2 graph (i) of paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 667 of the educa-
 3 tion law, as amended by section 1 of part DD of chapter 56 of the laws
 4 of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 5 In the case of students who have not been granted an exclusion of
 6 parental income, who have qualified as an orphan, foster child, [or]
 7 ward of the court, or homeless for the purposes of federal student
 8 financial aid programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education
 9 Act of 1965, as amended, are deemed homeless under the federal McKin-
 10 ney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, or had a dependent for
 11 income tax purposes during the tax year next preceding the academic year
 12 for which application is made, except for those students who have been
 13 granted exclusion of parental income who have a spouse but no other
 14 dependent:
 15 § 2. Section 661 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 16 subdivision 8 to read as follows:
 17 8. Homeless status. The president shall promulgate rules and regu-
 18 lations for a uniform verification method of a student's status as home-
 19 less to be used for all awards and loans made pursuant to this article.
 20 Such rules and regulations shall utilize the same method of verification
 21 of homelessness as federal student financial aid programs authorized by
 22 Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or the federal
 23 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00078-01-5

 S. 27 2

 1 § 3. Subdivision 4 of section 663 of the education law, as amended by
 2 section 1 of part X of chapter 56 of the laws of 2014, is amended to
 3 read as follows:
 4 4. Relinquishing of parental control. In determining the amount of an
 5 award, the president may, in cases of unusual and exceptional family
 6 circumstances warranting such action, recognize an existing condition
 7 wherein parental control has in effect been relinquished by the parents
 8 or others responsible for the applicant, and notwithstanding the
 9 provisions of subdivision three of this section, the applicant has in
 10 effect been emancipated. Provided, however, that students who have qual-
 11 ified as an orphan, foster child, or ward of the court for the purposes
 12 of federal student financial aid programs authorized by Title IV of the
 13 Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or the federal McKinney-Vento
 14 Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, shall not be considered emancipated
 15 for the purposes of determining an award pursuant to section six hundred
 16 sixty-seven of this article. The criteria used in determining these
 17 cases of unusual and exceptional family circumstances shall be estab-
 18 lished by the president with the approval of the board of trustees and
 19 the director of the divisio

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