NYPIRG’s Higher Education Campaign

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release:
Tuesday, April 25, 2006

NYPIRG APPLAUDS ASSEMBLY OVERRIDES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

URGES SENATE TO FOLLOW SUIT AND OVERRIDE GOVERNOR’S VETOES

“NYPIRG applauds the Assembly’s override of the governor’s ill-considered vetoes to financial aid and colleges,” said Miriam Kramer, NYPIRG’s government policy analyst. “The Senate must act as quickly as possible to ensure access to an affordable and quality higher education for all New Yorkers.”

Monday evening, the Assembly overrode the following vetoes to higher education:

$1 million for CUNY contract courses (veto #82)
$49.47 million for additional operating assistance for CUNY, including $15 million for additional full-time faculty (veto #83)
$99.68 million for CUNY capital funding (veto #84)
$264 million for CUNY capital funding (veto #85)
$119.5 million in funding for TAP (veto #100)
$2 million for SUNY high need programs (veto #109)
$56.667 million for SUNY additional operating assistance, including $25 million for more full-time faculty (veto #110)
$1 million for SUNY contract courses and workforce development (veto #111)
$1.8 million for SUNY high need programs (veto #112)
Some SUNY community college capital projects (veto #113)
$22.56 million in SUNY community college capital projects (veto #114)
$20 million for CUNY full-time faculty (veto #116)

The impact of the governor’s vetoes for TAP would be that:

Students must take a course load of 15 credits per semester to qualify for TAP awards—compared to the current 12 credits—and students who enroll in or complete 12, 13, or 14 credits per semester would receive a 20% reduction to their reward.
Colleges would be required to pre-finance TAP awards for first-time applicants without high school diplomas; the colleges would then be reimbursed for the pre-financing costs once the student completes 24 credits.
All students in default on federal student loans would be ineligible for TAP, regardless of the loan guarantor. Currently, students in default are only ineligible if the loan is guaranteed by HESC.

-30-

TAKE ACTION! | The Facts on Tap | Tuition Indexing Fact Sheet | 2005-2006 Budget Proposal | 2004-2005 Budget Proposal

top of page | media index | higher education home page | nypirg home