Student tuition assistance-2.

WORKING DRAFT
2005
STATE OF WYOMING
05LSO-0658

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0307

Student tuition assistance-2.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Harshman, Bagby, Buchanan, Hinckley, Lockhart, Pedersen, Reese, Slater, Walsh, Warren and Wasserburger and Senator(s) Coe, Peck and Ross

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the Wyoming student tuition scholarship program at the University of Wyoming; establishing the program; specifying eligibility criteria, conditions and limitations; providing for administration by the university subject to funds made available by legislative appropriation; imposing duties; imposing reporting requirements; specifying legislative intent; 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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17
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116 is created to read:

21
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17
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116.

Wyoming tuition scholarship program;
eligibility criteria specified; petition for reinstatement upon ineligibility; program administration and funding; annual report.

(a)

The University of
Wyoming shall award a tuition scholarship to any person who enrolls in the university 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 university as established under applicable law and rules of the university's board of trustees. Tuition scholarships for enrollment at the university shall be awarded as four (4) 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 at the university;

(ii)

If initially enrolling at the university as a freshman prior to the 2008-2009 academic year, 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)

If initially enrolling at the university as a freshman on or after the 2008-2009 academic year, have graduated from a Wyoming high school by successfully completing four (4) school years for each of English, mathematics and science and three (3) school years of social studies;

(iv)

Have demonstrated advanced proficiency in five (5) of the nine (9) content areas prescribed by the state board of education for high school graduation, with demonstrated proficiency in the remaining content areas;

(v)

Have successfully demonstrated proficiency in progress and performance measurements under the statewide assessment administered in accordance with W.S. 21
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2
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304(a)(v);

(vi)

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

(vii)

Have received an enhanced ACT composite score of twenty and four-tenths (20.4) 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 2.75 at the university;

(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 subsection (h) of this section, a scholarship awarded to a recipient under this section shall terminate upon:

(i)

The conclusion of four (4) consecutive academic years if the recipient otherwise maintains eligibility under this section;

(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)

Any tuition scholarship recipient who fails to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or who fails to satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credit hours of enrollment during any academic semester, as required under subsection (d) of this section, may petition the university 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 section.

(g)

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

(h)

Upon application by a scholarship recipient, the academic year limitation prescribed under subsection (e) of this section 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.

(j)

T
he student tuition scholarship program established under this section shall be administered by the university from funds appropriated by the legislature. The university 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.

(k)

The university shall report annually to the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9
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2
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1014 on the tuition scholarship program established under this section, specifying funds received and recipients enrolled during the reportable academic year.

(m)

Nothing in this section 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.

Section 2.

(a)

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

(b)

Four million seven hundred eighty-five thousand three hundred sixty
dollars ($4,785,360.00) is appropriated from the general fund to the University of Wyoming for the implementation of this act during fiscal year 2006.

(c)

Amounts appropriated under this section shall be separately accounted for and not included within the university's block grant.

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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HB0307