Joint higher education conference opens; lawmakers push larger SUNY/CUNY funding, TAP expansion and campus-safety measures

At the opening meeting of the joint conference committee on higher education for the 2025–26 fiscal year, Senate and Assembly leaders outlined competing and overlapping budget priorities, including large capital commitments for SUNY and CUNY, an expansion of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) eligibility and proposals addressing campus safety.

"My name is Toby Stavisky and I chair the Committee on Higher Education," said Senator Toby Stavisky, opening the session with Assemblymember Heinemann serving as co-chair. Leaders from both chambers described their respective budget proposals and urged negotiations to prioritize affordability and campus safety.

Senator Joseph Griffo, the committee's ranking minority member, stressed the need to preserve affordability and operating support for four‑year and community college campuses. "We have an obligation, particularly in this year's budget, to ensure that higher education, particularly all of our four‑year campuses and community colleges remain affordable and accessible options for New York students," Griffo said, noting testimony from community college leaders that operating aid in real terms is lower than 10 years ago.

Griffo also called for parity between funding for SUNY Upstate and SUNY Downstate, and raised campus‑safety concerns after recent incidents targeting Jewish and other students. "We need to take action to ensure safety for all students on these campuses and to hold those who are creating havoc accountable," he said, adding support for proposals to mandate education on antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti‑Asian hate.

Senator Rachel May said the Senate proposal includes $250 million in capital funding for both SUNY Downstate and SUNY Upstate and noted additional amounts in the Senate plan to support Upstate's emergency department and other critical services. "Upstate is the burn center, the poison center, the Level 1 trauma center, and the children's hospital for very large areas of Upstate New York," May said, calling the funding request necessary to build a new emergency department.

Assembly speakers described their chamber's plan to expand college affordability programs. The Assembly proposal would create the New York College Access Program (NYCAP) with roughly $207 million to provide tuition‑free associate degrees for SUNY and CUNY students, increase income eligibility for TAP and the Excelsior Scholarship from $125,000 to $150,000, and add significant capital funding for both systems. "We look to increase college affordability while providing essential and ongoing support to SUNY and CUNY," an Assemblymember said in presenting the one‑house highlights.

Both chambers described large multi‑year capital proposals. The Senate summary included a five‑year capital plan that guarantees a minimum annual appropriation for CUNY and SUNY, including a stated $1 billion minimum annual capital plan for CUNY and a $1.5 billion minimum annual appropriation for SUNY in the Senate proposal. The Assembly summary listed $1.4 billion in SUNY capital funding and $700 million for CUNY in its proposal. Both sides also listed additional targeted capital allocations including funding for Higher Education Capital Matching Grants (HECAP).

Committee members and presenters emphasized community colleges' unstable enrollment and the need for a longer‑term funding model. The Assembly proposal would add funds specifically for community colleges and replace a prior scholarship proposal with NYCAP, which speakers said removes certain age and field‑of‑study limits to broaden eligibility.

Speakers also noted programmatic and policy proposals beyond base and capital aid: allocations for loan‑repayment for mental‑health professionals, a proposed TAP expansion to cover some non‑matriculated students, a vending‑machine requirement for emergency contraception at SUNY and CUNY campuses, and a provision in Article 7 (part N) intended to increase TAP awards for students identified as homeless.

No formal votes were taken during the opening meeting. Chairs from both houses said they look forward to negotiating with the governor and across chambers to finalize higher‑education provisions in the state budget.

The committee session included multiple members from both the Senate and Assembly and concluded with the chairs thanking participants and noting future negotiations among the Legislature and the governor’s office.