AN ACT relating to postsecondary education students.

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AN ACT relating to postsecondary education students. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 164 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) As used in this section: 5
(a) "Institution" or "postsecondary education institution" means a university, 6
college, community college, health technology center, vocationa l-technical 7
school, technical institute, technical college, technology center, or the 8
Kentucky Community and Technical College System; 9
(b) "Student experiencing homelessness" or "homeless student": 10
1. Means an individual enrolled in an institution: 11
a. Who lacks or is at imminent risk of lacking a fixed, regular, and 12
adequate nighttime residence; or 13
b. Who is a minor and whose parent or legal guardian is unable or 14
unwilling to provide shelter and care; and 15
2. Includes a homeless individual as defined in 42 U.S.C. sec. 11302. 16
As used in this paragraph, "fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime 17
residence" does not include residence in an institution's on -campus 18
housing; and 19
(c) "Student in care" means a student enrolled in an institution and: 20
(a) The student's family receives state -funded adoption assistance under 21
KRS 199.555; 22
(b) The student is currently committed to the Cabinet for Health and 23
Family Services and placed in a family foster home or placed in 24
accordance with KRS 605.090(3); 25
(c) The student is in an independent living program and the placement is 26
funded by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services; 27
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(d) The student is an adopted child who was in the permanent legal 1
custody of and placed for adopt ion by the Cabinet for Health and 2
Family Services; or 3
(e) The Cabinet for Health and Family Services was the student's legal 4
custodian on his or her eighteenth birthday. 5
(2) (a) In an effort to provide assistance to students experiencing homelessness and 6
students in care, each postsecondary education institution shall designate at 7
least one (1) staff member who, in addition to his or her usual employment 8
responsibilities, shall serve as a liaison to assist homeless students and 9
students in care enrolled at the institution. 10
(b) The liaison designated under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall offer 11
assistance and resources to any homeless student or student in care enrolled 12
at the institution. The liaison shall have the following duties: 13
1. To understand pr ovisions pertaining to the financial aid eligibility of 14
homeless students, including eligibility as an independent student 15
under the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, Pub. L. No. 89-329; 16
2. To identify services and resources that are available to and 17
appropriate for a homeless student; 18
3. To assist a homeless student or student in care in applying for and 19
receiving federal and state financial aid and available services; 20
4. To track and monitor the graduation rate and retention rate of 21
homeless students and students in care enrolled at the institution; 22
5. To report annually to the Council on Postsecondary Education by 23
August 1, as appropriate, the number of homeless students and 24
students in care enrolled at the institution, as well as the graduation 25
rate and retention rate of these students. The report shall also include 26
the number of students who received assistance or services through 27
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the liaison and the type of service or assistance received by the student. 1
If the information is available, the report ma y describe the outcome 2
for the student as a result of the services or assistance he or she 3
received through the liaison; 4
6. To act as an intermediary between a homeless student or student in 5
care and the office of financial aid, student support services, a nd 6
campus housing services; 7
7. To connect a homeless student or student in care to a local continuum 8
of care program; 9
8. To publish on the institution's website information about the services 10
and resources available through the institution's liaison, as we ll as 11
contact information for local, state, and federal services; 12
9. To develop a plan to provide access to on -campus housing or to 13
suitable off -campus housing between academic breaks to homeless 14
students or students in care enrolled at the institution; and 15
10. To train the institution's employees to identify students experiencing 16
homelessness and to refer those students to the liaison. At his or her 17
discretion, the liaison may provide any additional service he or she 18
reasonably believes is within the purview of the role of liaison. 19
(c) The Council on Postsecondary Education shall adopt policies and 20
procedures to implement and administer this section. The council policies 21
and procedures shall: 22
1. Provide access to a training program for the liaisons and othe r 23
relevant postsecondary institution employees developed by a homeless 24
advocacy organization; 25
2. Require each postsecondary education institution's liaison to receive 26
training on an annual basis; 27
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3. Collaborate with the state coordinator for McKinney -Vento Homeless 1
Education and the contact liaisons designated under 42 U.S.C. sec. 2
11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) to facilitate the efficient transition of homeless 3
students from secondary to postsecondary education a nd provide 4
homeless students and students in care information about: 5
a. Support services, including financial aid, on -campus and off -6
campus housing, food and meal plan programs, and counseling 7
services; and 8
b. Other resources and any other relevant informa tion to assist 9
these students; and 10
4. Issue an annual report by September 1 of each year to the Legislative 11
Research Commission for referral to the appropriate Interim Joint 12
Committee on Education about students experiencing homelessness 13
and students in care enrolled at postsecondary education institutions. 14
(d) After three (3) academic years of data is collected or during any three (3) 15
consecutive academic years, if the data submitted to the council indicates 16
that the number of students experiencing homeles sness combined with the 17
number of students in care averages two percent (2%) or more of the 18
student body enrollment of the institution, the institution shall designate an 19
existing employee or create a new position whose primary employment 20
responsibility is to carry out the duties of a liaison as described in 21
paragraph (b) of this subsection. 22
(e) Each institution that provides on -campus housing for students enrolled at 23
the institution shall: 24
1. Grant priority for on -campus housing to students experiencing 25
homelessness and students in care who are enrolled at the institution, 26
including but not limited to access to on -campus housing that remains 27
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open during academic breaks, and waive housing -related fees for the 1
on-campus housing during academic breaks; 2
2. Allow students experiencing homelessness and students in care who 3
are enrolled part -time at the institution to access on -campus housing 4
during their periods of enrollment; 5
3. Provide information about the availability of on -campus housing to 6
students experiencing homelessness and students in care; and 7
4. Provide information about the services and assistance offered by the 8
institution regarding homelessness in financial aid packets, admission 9
packets, and on the institution's website. 10