Washington, DC - January 12, 2016 - Senator Ken LaValle, Chairman of the NY State Senate Standing Committee on Higher Education, announced that the 2015 Higher Education Legislative Report is now available.
Senator LaValle said, “The most significant topic discussed by the committee throughout the session was campus sexual assault. Our colleges and universities are supposed to provide safe, secure environments that foster personal growth and academic excellence. However, cases of rape, sexual assault, dating violence and other crimes continue to occur each year on campuses.
The Senate Higher Education Committee began a process in 2014 to review existing laws, policies and legislation in an effort to fight the persistence of campus sexual assault. My committee held round tables and published a report to address the myriad of issues. We sought and obtained a tremendous amount of valuable input from many individuals and organizations across the state directly involved in the issue. The Senate Majority worked diligently to ensure that all students would be protected and due process rights assured for both the complainant and the accused. Now, because of the law we enacted, all public and private colleges in New York will implement new policies to address sexual assault to better protect our students.”
Senator LaValle continued, “College affordability remains another major focus of the committee. Under the new State budget, we were able to increase funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to help thousands of young New Yorkers afford a quality college education. The committee also continued its efforts to address the college affordability crisis by establishing a new scholarship entitled the New York State Achievement and Investment in Merit Scholarship (NYS-AIMS). Under this scholarship, 5,000 students who demonstrate high academic achievement will receive annual scholarships to reduce the level of student loan debt they are expected to incur. I will again make this a priority of the committee and seek to build on this year’s accomplishments by working collaboratively with the Governor and Assembly on this important issue.”
The 2015-16 enacted budget increased general fund support for our public four-year colleges and universities and our community colleges. SUNY and CUNY’s four-year colleges received an increase of $34.7 million. Community colleges received a $100 increase in base operating aid per full-time equivalent (FTE), bringing total base aid to $2,597.
The committee continued the work of supporting and examining ways to bolster the multiple sectors of higher education, as well as its oversight of the various professions licensed and seeking licensure by the State Education Department.
The 2015 NY State Senate Higher Education Committee Legislative Report is available for downloading here.