Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program; revise students eligible for assistance.

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To: Universities and
Colleges; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative James-Jones

HOUSE BILL NO. 1519

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-75, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO PROVIDE THAT A STUDENT WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A GRANT 2
UNDER THE HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATIVE PLAN GRANT PROGRAM IF THE 3
STUDENT IS A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, IS 4
CURRENTLY ENROLLED AS A FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AT AN 5
ELIGIBLE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THE 6
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, HAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF 7
FORTY-FIVE SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS AT AN ACCREDITED INSTITUTION OF 8
HIGHER LEARNING, HAS MAINTAINED A MINIMUM CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT 9
AVERAGE OF 3.5 ON A 4.0 SCALE AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION AND 10
RENEWAL AND MEETS ALL OTHER NON-ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE 11
HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATIVE PLAN GRANT PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED 12
PURPOSES. 13
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 14
SECTION 1. Section 37-106-75, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 15
amended as follows: 16
37-106-75. (1) The Legislature hereby establishes the 17
Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program. 18
(2) For purposes of this section: 19
(a) "Institution of higher education" shall mean any 20
state institution of higher learning or public community or junior 21
college, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit 22
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two-year or four-year college or university located in the State 23
of Mississippi approved by the board. 24
(b) "Tuition" shall mean the semester or trimester or 25
term charges and all required fees imposed by an institution of 26
higher education as a condition of enrollment by all students. 27
However, for a two-year nonpublic institution of higher education 28
defined in paragraph (a), the tuition payments shall not exceed 29
the average charges and fees required by all of the two-year 30
public institutions of higher education defined in paragraph (a), 31
and for a four-year nonpublic institution of higher education 32
defined in paragraph (a), the tuition payments shall not exceed 33
the average charges and fees required by all of the four-year 34
public institutions of higher education defined in paragraph (a). 35
(3) Subject to the availability of funds, the state may pay 36
the tuition of students who enroll at any state institution of 37
higher education to pursue an academic undergraduate degree who 38
apply for the assistance under the program and who meet all of the 39
following qualifications: 40
(a) Resident of the State of Mississippi. Resident 41
status for the purpose of receiving assistance under this chapter 42
shall be determined in the same manner as resident status for 43
tuition purposes in Sections 37-103-1 through 37-103-29, with the 44
exception of Section 37-103-17; 45
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(b) Graduate from high school within the two (2) years 46
preceding the application with a minimum cumulative grade point 47
average of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale; 48
(c) Successfully complete, as certified by the high 49
school counselor or other school official, high school coursework 50
which includes the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) approved 51
by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning 52
and required for admission into a state university; 53
(d) Have a composite score on the American College Test 54
of at least twenty (20) on the 1989 version or an equivalent 55
concordant value on an enhanced version of such test; 56
(e) Have no criminal record, except for misdemeanor 57
traffic violations; and 58
(f) Be in financial need. 59
(4) Subject to the availability of funds, the state may pay 60
the tuition of students who enroll at any state institution of 61
higher education to pursue an academic undergraduate degree or 62
associate degree who apply for assistance under the program and 63
who meet the qualifications in paragraphs (a), (e) and (f) of 64
subsection (3) but who fail to meet one (1) of the particular 65
requirements established by paragraph (b), (c) or (d) of 66
subsection (3) by an amount of ten percent (10%) or less. 67
(5) To maintain continued state payment of tuition, once 68
enrolled in an institution of higher education, a student shall 69
meet all of the following requirements: 70
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(a) Make steady academic progress toward a degree, 71
earning not less than the minimum number of hours of credit 72
required for full-time standing in each academic period requiring 73
such enrollment; 74
(b) Maintain continuous enrollment for not less than 75
two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters in each successive 76
academic year, unless granted an exception for cause by the board; 77
(c) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 78
2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of the first academic 79
year and thereafter maintain such a cumulative grade point average 80
as evaluated at the end of each academic year; 81
(d) Have no criminal record, except for misdemeanor 82
traffic violations; and 83
(e) Be in financial need. 84
(6) The provisions of this section shall be administered by 85
the board. The board may promulgate rules for all matters 86
necessary for the implementation of this section. By rule, the 87
board shall provide for: 88
(a) A mechanism for informing all students of the 89
availability of the assistance provided under this section early 90
enough in their schooling that a salutary motivational effect is 91
possible; 92
(b) Applications, forms, financial audit procedures, 93
eligibility and other program audit procedures and other matters 94
related to efficient operation; 95
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(c) A procedure for waiver through the 1996-1997 96
academic year of the program eligibility requirement for 97
successful completion of a specified core curriculum upon proper 98
documentation by the applicant that failure to comply with the 99
requirement is due solely to the fact that the required course or 100
courses were not available to the applicant at the school 101
attended. 102
(7) An applicant shall be found to be in financial need if: 103
(a) The family has one (1) child under the age of 104
twenty-one (21), and the annual adjusted gross income of the 105
family is less than Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars 106
($42,500.00); or 107
(b) The family has an annual adjusted gross income of 108
less than Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($42,500.00) 109
plus Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each additional child 110
under the age of twenty-one (21). 111
The annual adjusted gross income of the family shall be 112
verified by completion of the Free Application for Federal Student 113
Aid (FAFSA) and the completion of the verification process if the 114
applicant is selected for it. 115
As used in this subsection, the term "family" for an 116
unemancipated applicant means the applicant, the applicant's 117
parents and other children under age twenty-one (21) of the 118
applicant's parents. The term "family" for an emancipated 119
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applicant means the applicant, an applicant's spouse, and any 120
children under age twenty-one (21) of the applicant and spouse. 121
(8) No student shall receive a grant under this section in 122
an amount greater than the tuition charged by the school. The 123
student must apply for a federal grant prior to receiving state 124
funds. 125
(9) (a) In addition to any other provisions of this 126
section, a student shall also be eligible to receive a grant under 127
the Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program if the 128
student: 129
(i) Is a legal resident of the State of 130
Mississippi; 131
(ii) Is currently enrolled as a full-time 132
undergraduate student at an eligible public or private institution 133
of higher learning in the State of Mississippi; 134
(iii) Has successfully completed a minimum of 135
forty-five (45) semester credit hours at an accredited institution 136
of higher learning; 137
(iv) Has maintained a minimum cumulative grade 138
point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the time of 139
application and renewal; and 140
(v) Meets all other non-academic requirements of 141
the Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program, including but 142
not limited to, financial need and conduct standards, as 143
determined by the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid. 144
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ST: Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant
Program; revise students eligible for
assistance.
(b) Students qualifying under this subsection shall be 145
eligible for award amounts consistent with existing Higher 146
Education Legislative Plan Grant Program funding limits and shall 147
be subject to the same renewal, repayment, and service obligations 148
as other Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program 149
recipients. 150
(c) The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid 151
shall promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement 152
the provisions of this subsection, provided that such rules shall 153
not reduce or restrict existing eligibility for current or future 154
Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program recipients. 155
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 156
and after July 1, 2026. 157