New York A 7966: Enacts the nursing education support act of 2025; appropriation

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A07966 Summary:

BILL NOA07966 

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SAME ASSAME AS S07652

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SPONSOREachus (MS)

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COSPNSRReyes, Shimsky, McDonald, Colton, Gonzalez-Rojas, Meeks, Griffin, Simon, Sayegh, Lavine, Ramos

&nbsp

MLTSPNSRKay

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Add Art 127-A §§6360 - 6362, Ed L

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Enacts the nursing education support act to allocate additional funds to nursing programs at community colleges across New York state to expand capacity, improve program quality, and ensure a robust pipeline of skilled nurses to meet the state's healthcare needs.

Go to top A07966 Actions:

BILL NOA07966 

&nbsp

04/16/2025referred to higher education

01/07/2026referred to higher education

Go to topA07966 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA07966 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA07966 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 7966

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 April 16, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. EACHUS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. KAY --
 read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the nursing
 education support act of 2025; and making an appropriation therefor

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

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "nursing education support act of 2025".
 3 § 2. Legislative findings and purpose. The healthcare system in New
 4 York state faces a critical shortage of registered nurses, projected to
 5 peak by the year 2030. Community colleges play a vital role in training
 6 and graduating a significant portion of the state's nursing workforce.
 7 Current funding levels for nursing programs are insufficient to meet the
 8 growing demand for qualified nursing professionals. The costs associated
 9 with nursing education-particularly clinical instruction, advanced
 10 equipment, and smaller faculty-to-student ratios-are significantly high-
 11 er than for other programs. On average, nursing programs incur an addi-
 12 tional $1,000 per semester per student in costs, which has made it
 13 difficult for community colleges to expand their programs. Sustained
 14 expansion of nursing programs requires operational funding to support
 15 faculty and staff hiring, maintain facilities, and meet growing student
 16 needs.
 17 The purpose of this act is to allocate additional funds to nursing
 18 programs at community colleges across New York state to expand capacity,
 19 improve program quality, and ensure a robust pipeline of skilled nurses
 20 to meet the state's healthcare needs.
 21 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new article 127-A to
 22 read as follows:
 23 ARTICLE 127-A
 24 NURSING EDUCATION SUPPORT ACT OF 2025
 25 Section 6360. Definitions.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD11385-01-5

 A. 7966 2

 1 6361. Nursing education support program.
 2 6362. Reporting.
 3 § 6360. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms
 4 shall have the following meanings:
 5 1. "Community college" shall mean any institution within the city
 6 university of New York (CUNY) or state university of New York (SUNY)
 7 systems offering associate degrees in nursing.
 8 2. "Nursing program" means an accredited program that trains individ-
 9 uals to become licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or registered nurses
 10 (RNs).
 11 § 6361. Nursing education support program. 1. The commissioner shall
 12 establish, within amounts appropriated therefor, a nursing education
 13 support program.
 14 2. Such program shall expend funds to assist community colleges and
 15 students as determined by the commissioner for the following purposes:
 16 (a) Expanding student enrollment capacity in nursing programs at
 17 community colleges.
 18 (b) Hiring additional faculty and staff at community colleges to
 19 support increased enrollment.
 20 (c) Modernizing community college equipment and facilities for nursing
 21 education.
 22 (d) Providing scholarships or grants for students pursuing nursing
 23 degrees, particularly those from underrepresented communities as deter-
 24 mined by the co