The state Assembly and Senate are expected to vote on and approve the budget before Monday.
"Today, college is what high school was - it should always be an option even if you can't afford it", Cuomo said, in a statement Saturday. The income cap will increase to US$110,000 next year and will reach US$125,000 in 2019.
The initiative is included in a $153 billion state budget proposal that passed the state Senate late Sunday after being endorsed by the Assembly a day earlier.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said most items on his wish list were folded into the deal, including a plan for free college tuition at state schools.
The governor's office has estimated the scholarship will cost $163 million in the first year, but some lawmakers say that's lowballing it. "It is also the best way to maintain public safety in NY", said Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy policy director Dorothy Hill in a statement. While eliminating tuition expenses, students will still need to pay fees and room and board charges, leaving potentially significant charges.
Program participants must be enrolled as full-times students averaging at least 30-credits annually, but allows flexibility in pausing education "due to hardship". If they leave the state, their scholarship will be converted into a loan.
OPEC figures show oil output cuts exceed pledge in March
USA oil imports from the kingdom declined 24% in the week ended March 31, according to Energy Information Administration data. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell by 12 cents to $52.96 a barrel, after touching a five-week high of $53.23 a barrel.
Translation: Students must first apply for, and use, other money like federal Pell Grants, before turning to the scholarship. The Excelsior Scholarship will make college accessible to thousands of working and middle class students, and shows the difference that government can make.
By removing the burden of tuition for families making $125,000 or less, we can attract more talented, qualified students to our campuses who may have been discouraged by the rising costs of attending college. "I have students choosing between a MetroCard and lunch, or sharing books with other students", said Gail Mellow, the president of LaGuardia Community College.
Republican lawmakers pushed for the requirement during closed-door state budget negotiations.
The budget also has $19 million for a new tuition award program for students at private colleges.
Mellow sees this as a healthy incentive for students: "The data are incontrovertible: The faster you can get a student through college, the more likely they are to graduate".
Tennessee, Oregon, and the city of San Francisco have recently made tuition free at community colleges for all residents, regardless of income. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton elevated the issue of college affordability with campaign proposals to make public higher education free for the vast majority of American families.
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