Student tuition assistance.

WORKING DRAFT
2005
STATE OF WYOMING
05LSO-0345

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0282

Student tuition assistance.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Harshman, Diercks, Esquibel, Hammons, Hinckley, Iekel, Lockhart, Martin, Miller, Pedersen, Reese, Walsh and Wasserburger and Senator(s) Burns, Coe, Hawks, Northrup, Peck, Ross and Von Flatern

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the Wyoming student tuition scholarship program at Wyoming community colleges; establishing the program; specifying eligibility criteria, conditions and limitations; providing for administration by the Wyoming community college commission subject to funds made available by legislative appropriation; specifying legislative intent; imposing duties; imposing reporting requirements; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 21
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401 through 21
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403 are created to read:

ARTICLE 4
WYOMING STUDENT TUITION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

21
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401.

Wyoming tuition scholarship program;
eligibility criteria specified; cumulative grade point average; limitations.

(a)

E
ach Wyoming community college shall award a tuition scholarship to any person who enrolls in a community college as a freshman and who qualifies for admission as a Wyoming resident student for tuition assessment purposes in accordance with the residency policy of the college, as established under rules and regulations of the Wyoming community college commission under W.S. 21
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202(a)(iii). Tuition scholarships for enrollment at Wyoming community colleges shall be awarded as two (2) year scholarships. Scholarship recipients shall:

(i)

Be admitted, enrolled and classified as an undergraduate student in a defined program of study leading to a degree or certificate at a community college;

(ii)

Have graduated from a Wyoming high school by successfully completing four (4) school years of English, three (3) school years of mathematics, three (3) school years of science and three (3) school years of social studies;

(iii)

Have demonstrated proficiency in nine (9) content areas prescribed by the state board of education for high school graduation;

(iv)

Have graduated from a Wyoming high school with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale; and

(v)

Receive an enhanced ACT composite score of eighteen (18) or higher.

(b)

In addition to subsection (a) of this section, a scholarship recipient shall receive an amount equal to mandatory fees as prescribed in the cost of attendance rules for assistance under Title IV of the Federal Higher Education Assistance Act, plus a book allowance of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per academic semester.

(c)

Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and if
a parent or legal guardian is serving in active military duty and is stationed outside of Wyoming as a result of military service, the program applicant shall provide evidence that his parent or guardian was a resident at the time the parent or guardian entered military service and continues to maintain Wyoming as his state of voter registration and home of record.

(d)

To continue scholarship eligibility, a recipient
student shall maintain:

(i)

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 at a Wyoming community college;

(ii)

Maintain satisfactory academic progress in the defined program of study; and

(iii)

Maintain a minimum of twelve (12) hours of enrollment during any academic semester in which the recipient is receiving the scholarship.

(e)

Except as provided under W.S. 21
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402(c), a scholarship awarded to a recipient under this article shall terminate upon:

(i)

The conclusion of two (2) consecutive academic years if the recipient qualifies for a two (2) year scholarship and remains eligible during this two (2) year period;

(ii)

Any semester following initial receipt of a scholarship in which the recipient is not enrolled shall be included in computing the academic year limitations for that recipient.

(f)

Nothing in this article shall be construed to constitute an entitlement to tuition scholarships established and funded by the legislature. Program scholarships shall be subject to legislative appropriation and the legislature reserves the right to terminate the program at any time.

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402.

Ineligible recipients; scholarship payments cease; petition for scholarship reinstatement; military service extension.

(a)

Any tuition scholarship recipient who fails to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 as required under this article or who fails to satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credit hours of enrollment during any academic semester as required under this article may petition the community college of enrollment for reinstatement after the recipient satisfactorily completes the minimum number of hours of enrollment in a subsequent academic semester required for that scholarship and otherwise complies with applicable eligibility requirements imposed under this article.

(b)

The loss of the scholarship award under this article for one (1) or more semesters does not extend the academic year limitation imposed under W.S. 21
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401(e). Upon request of a scholarship recipient, a community college may exempt the recipient from this subsection for good cause.

(c)

Upon application by a scholarship recipient, the academic year limitation prescribed under W.S. 21
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401(e) may be extended for a period of up to four (4) years while the recipient is serving on full-time active duty with any branch of the United States military services.

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403.

Program administration and funding; annual report
.

(a)

T
he student tuition scholarship program established under this article shall be administered by the Wyoming community college commission on behalf of community colleges from funds appropriated by the legislature. The commission shall establish policy for program administration including reporting procedures for scholarship recipients, the maintenance of information on scholarship candidates and recipients and the accounting of actual scholarship recipients from amounts appropriated.

(b)

The commission shall report annually to the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9
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1014 on the tuition scholarship program established under this article, specifying funds received and recipients enrolled during the reportable academic year.

Section 2.

(a)

Tuition
scholarships are to be awarded by Wyoming community colleges beginning with the 2005 fall academic semester.

(b)

Two million seven hundred fifty-one thousand three hundred ninety-two
dollars ($2,751,392.00) is appropriated from the general fund to the Wyoming community college commission for distribution to each Wyoming community college for the implementation of this act during fiscal year 2006.

(c)

Amounts appropriated under this section shall be separately accounted for and not included in the community college commission's budget for the funding allocation model.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

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HB0282