In light of the rising cost of higher education, it is important for parents and students to begin preparing and saving money for college as soon as possible. This bill amends administrative code § 3-209.2 to include pre-kindergarteners among the students that receive college savings plans materials in schools. Additionally, this bill requires the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to distribute college savings plan materials to parents and guardians at the same time the department mails the child’s certificate of registration of birth.
- Introduced
History
Int. No.
By Council Members Treyger, King and Ulrich (by request of the Brooklyn Borough President)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to expanding college savings plan materials in schools to include pre-kindergarten and to distributing college savings plan materials to parents or guardians with a child’s certificate of registration of birth
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Section 3-209.2 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 126 for the year 2013, is amended to read as follows:
§ 3-209.2 Distribution of college-savings plan materials in schools. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section:
1. “Department” shall mean the department of education.
2. “School” shall mean any public school in the city of New York under the jurisdiction of the department of education that contains any combination of grades from and including pre-kindergarten through grade twelve.
b. The department shall develop materials containing information regarding college savings plans. At a minimum, such materials shall include information on (i) college-savings programs available to students including, but not limited to, information regarding New York's 529 college savings program and (ii) general information regarding tuition at colleges under the authority of the city university of New York and at colleges under the authority of the state university of New York and financial aid eligibility. Such materials shall be produced and distributed by the department to each school for distribution to every student of such school upon his or her entry into pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, grade six and grade nine and to every student upon his or her entry into a school as a new student.
c. The department shall ensure that materials developed pursuant to subdivision b of this section are provided to all schools in sufficient quantity to satisfy the requirements of subdivisions b and d of this section.
d. The department shall ensure that such written materials are available in the main or central office in each school and that such materials are available on the department's website for students and parents who wish to obtain such materials.
§ 2. Chapter 1 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-168.1 to read as follows:
§ 17-168.1 Distribution of college-savings plan materials with certificate of registration of birth. a. The department shall provide the college savings plan materials described in subdivision b of section 3-209.2 to the parents or guardian of the child or to the mother of the child at the same time the department sends the child’s certificate of registration of birth pursuant to section 17-168.
b. The department shall make such materials available on its website.
§ 3. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
SSY
LS 7866
LS 7924
8/11/16 2:30pm