NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A2330
SPONSOR: O'Donnell
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to prohibiting secondary
schools and colleges from withholding student transcripts for failure to
pay tuition
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Allows students to obtain their academic transcript in the event tuition
has not been paid.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 Amends the education law by adding a new Article 2-A. Prohib-
its public or private educational institutions from withholding student
transcripts in the event such student has not paid tuition.
Section 2 Effective Date
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As a result of the current recession, difficulties with paying tuition
have become more and more common. Whether the student is paying for his
or her own education, or parents are paying for their child's tuition,
it is the student who suffers. The problem is exacerbated in situations
when a student's transcript needs to be sent from one school to another.
School's frequently will not release fully paid transcripts if the
tuition is not fully paid.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021/2022: A. 4252, Higher Education
2020: A. 9949, Higher Education
2019: S.6772/A.9949, Higher Education
2018: S.8697 Referred to Education
2017: S.4897 Referred to Education
2016: S.475A Held for consideration in Higher Education
2014: 5.12 Referred to Education /A.3173 Referred to Education
2013: S.12 Referred to Education /A.3173 Referred to Education
2012: S.503 Referred to in Education
2011: S.503 Defeated in Education
2010: S.8493 Referred to Rules
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to state.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First of November after it shall have become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2330
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 25, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to prohibiting secondary
schools and colleges from withholding student transcripts for failure
to pay tuition
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 2-A to
2 read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 2-A
4 PROHIBITION AGAINST WITHHOLDING STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS
5 Section 20. Prohibition against withholding student transcripts.
6 § 20. Prohibition against withholding student transcripts. 1. No
7 public or private elementary or secondary school or college as defined
8 in section two of this chapter shall withhold a student's transcript for
9 failure to pay past or presently due tuition.
10 2. Willful failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall
11 be punishable by a fine of five hundred dollars per violation.
12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
13 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03372-01-3