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Senate Education Committee advances five bills including GED name change and school safety mapping grants
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Summary
On March 17 the Senate Education Committee advanced five bills — S.523 (reimbursement for district reorganization studies), S.1636 (federal impact aid reserve for Salamanca), S.5067A (rename GED to Excelsior diploma), S.8845A (prior-year aid timing), and S.9039 (competitive emergency mapping grants) — all by voice vote to further legislative review.
The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Shelley Mayer, moved five education bills forward on March 17, advancing each by voice vote to the next step of legislative review.
S.523, sponsored by Senator Mayer, would amend the Education Law to allow reimbursement for studies in districts subject to reorganization. The bill was read by committee staff and advanced to the Finance Committee after a motion and voice vote.
S.1636, sponsored by Senator Barillo, would authorize the Board of Education of the Salamanca City School District to establish a federal impact aid reserve fund to manage reductions in federal impact aid. Chair Mayer explained the fund is intended to help a district that receives special federal funds because Allegany territory of the Seneca Nation lies within the district. The committee advanced the bill to the floor by voice vote.
S.5067A, sponsored by Senator Sepulveda, would change the name of the General Educational Development credential to the "Excelsior diploma". Chair Mayer described the measure as an effort to reduce stigma associated with the current GED name; the committee approved it by voice vote and sent it to the floor.
S.9039, sponsored by Senator Mayer, would establish a competitive emergency mapping grant program to help districts develop more sophisticated school maps for security and law enforcement coordination. "Some of the incidents we've seen around the country ... I myself am interested in seeing schools use some of the new technology to map where things are," Chair Mayer said, noting smaller and rural districts may need grant funding to engage vendors. The committee advanced the bill to Finance.
Committee members recorded the actions as voice votes; the hearing did not include roll-call tallies. Chair Mayer closed the meeting after confirming voting sheets and routine housekeeping.
