I don't really believe in free higher education but I do think it should be a lot more accessible than it is right now and it should NOT be as big of a burden on the students and their families as it is right now.
If the state wants to offer people the chance at a "free" education then I am absolutely fine with them putting qualifiers on it. It’s really no different than tuition reimbursement programs through employers. Schooling is not free, someone pays for it. And if someone is paying tens of thousands for it, then they should have the right to put qualifiers on it. Nothing says you to HAVE to take it either but it's there if you want it.
I get that people are upset about the "living and working in NYS" clause but is it REALLY that bad? NYS is one of the few states, IMO, where the jobs industries available are very, very diverse. You can be a laborer or a farmer or a wall street exec or a scientist or entertainer or engineer and still work in NYS. And yes, as you said, NYS schools don’t target many out-of-state students so it's not hurting that many kids by "trapping" them in the state after graduation.
The living and working clause is peanuts compared to being burdened with student loans for 10+ years and having $80K+ to pay back. Those loans are the real trap and they are more destructive to a young persons life than not being able to move out of state to go live wherever you want for a couple years after graduation. Obviously there are some students who would like to be able to participate and can’t, but if people want to complain about the fact they have to stay in NYS for a maximum of 4 or 5 years, by all means, take that $80K bill. Go live your life how you want to.
My family would've qualified under this legislation and I definitely would've found a job in state to satisfy the 4 year requirement if this option was available to me. My brother already works in NYS so he'd benefit from it. Almost all of my friends from college would participate in this if it were available to us. Many of my high school friends didn't go to college/complete their degrees because of money reasons and I know they’d take the deal. The positive consequences of this legislation are exciting as well because it has the potential to bring a lot of jobs to Upstate NY where people are really hurting. I'm definitely a supporter of this and I'm excited to see how it works out!