Relates to requiring at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses

2025 Regular Session Introduced by George Alvarez and 8 co-sponsors

Requires SUNY and CUNY campuses to have at least one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per 1,000 students to ensure on-site mental health access for students.

REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Overview

Bill number: A 832

Title: Relates to requiring at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses

Purpose: Establish a minimum staffing ratio to ensure on-campus access to clinical mental health services for students at all SUNY (State University of New York) and CUNY (City University of New York) campuses

Status: Referred to Higher Education

Introduced: January 8, 2025

Legislative actions: The record shows two entries on 2025-01-08 both indicating “REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION”

Key Provisions

Staffing standard: Requires each SUNY and CUNY campus to employ at least one clinical, non-student mental health staff member for every 1,000 enrolled students.

Scope: Applies across all SUNY and CUNY campuses (community colleges and universities within both systems).

Staffing type: Specifies “clinical, non-student” mental health staff, implying licensed or professional mental health personnel who are university employees rather than student workers.

Note: The bill text is not provided, so details such as qualifications, scope of practice, overrides for small campuses, or enforcement mechanisms are not stated here.

Affected Parties and Impacts

Primary beneficiaries: Students attending SUNY and CUNY campuses who would have improved access to on-site mental health services.

Institutions affected: All SUNY and CUNY campuses would need to assess current staffing levels and hire additional clinical mental health professionals to meet the ratio.

Workforce considerations: May require increases in hiring, budget allocations, and possible changes to service delivery models (e.g., on-site clinics, telehealth options) to meet the ratio.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Procedure: Referred to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education for review and potential amendments, a standard step before floor consideration.

Timeline: No effective date or phase-in period is provided in the information available. Future amendments or committee reports could specify implementation timelines.

Related Legislation and Context

Related and companion measures:

A 9746, A 302, A 4142 (prior-session bills) suggest ongoing interest in expanding on-campus mental health staffing.
S 8165 (companion in the Senate) indicating parallel consideration in the Senate.

Sponsorship:

Primary sponsor: Phara Souffrant Forrest
Cosponsors: Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas; Sarahana Shrestha; Chantel Jackson; Brian Maher; William Colton; George Alvarez; Emily Gallagher; Steven Raga

This alignment with multiple sponsors and related bills suggests ongoing interest in standardized mental health staffing across public higher education.

Potential Considerations for Stakeholders

Funding: How campuses will finance increased staffing (state funding, reallocations, or student fees) remains to be specified.

Compliance: How “per campus” ratios are measured (headcount vs. full-time equivalents) and how temporary vacancies are handled.

Service delivery: Possible implications for wait times, appointment availability, and integration with campus health services.

If you’d like, I can compare A 832 to its Senate companion S 8165 or summarize the related prior-session bills to show how this proposal has evolved.

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