New York A 4679: Grants volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians academic credit at SUNY and CUNY

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4679--A
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 4, 2025
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. EACHUS, JENSEN, SIMPSON, BUTTENSCHON -- read once
          and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Higher  Education  -- committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee
        AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  granting  academic
          credit  at  state operated institutions of the state university of New
          York and the senior colleges of the city university  of  New  York  to
          volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  669-i
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  669-i.    Course  credit  for  volunteer firefighters and emergency
     4  medical technicians.  1. For purposes of this section, the term  "volun-
     5  teer firefighter" shall have the same meaning as provided for in section
     6  three of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law.
     7    2. Every volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician who is
     8  also  enrolled  on a full-time basis as an undergraduate student in good
     9  standing, at an institution within the state university of New  York  or
    10  the city university of New York, shall upon application be granted up to
    11  three academic credits per year and six credits in the aggregate towards
    12  their  degree. No fee, tuition or other charge shall be assessed against
    13  a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical  technician  who  qualifies
    14  for such credit pursuant to this section.
    15    3.  The  board of trustees of the state university of New York and the
    16  city university of New York  shall  adopt  a  policy  to  implement  the
    17  provisions of this section.
    18    §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    19  the date on which it shall have become a law.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in  (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
                              [] is old law to be omitted. 
                                                                   LBD07780-03-5