Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarships.

2017
STATE OF WYOMING
17LSO-0406
ENGROSSED
2.1

HOUSE BILL

NO.

HB0191

Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarships.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Harshman, Brown, Kinner, Miller, Northrup, Paxton and Walters and Senator(s) Bebout, Perkins and Rothfuss

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to education; providing for scholarships to out-of-state students to attend Wyoming institutions of higher education; specifying scholarship amounts, eligibility requirements and other elements of the scholarships; providing for resident tuition for scholarship recipients; creating a selection committee; providing for administration; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1312 is created to read:

21
‑
16
‑
1312
.

Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship; eligibility requirements and conditions; selection.

(a)

There is created the Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship. The scholarship shall be administered by the department in accordance with this section and rule and regulation adopted by the department. Scholarship recipients shall be selected by a committee comprised of the governor, state superintendent of public instruction, president of the University of Wyoming and executive director of the community college commission, or their designees.

(b)

Each year two (2) students from each state contiguous to Wyoming may be awarded a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship. Minimum initial qualifications for a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship shall be all initial requirements applicable to a Hathaway honors scholarship, other than Wyoming residency and graduation from a high school located in Wyoming. In addition to those requirements, recipients shall have:

(i)

A minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.75 and a score equal to or greater than the 2015
‑
2016 national percentile rank of ninety
‑
six (96) on an examination
administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education to determine acceptance of students for attendance;

(ii)

At the time of graduation, be a resident of a state contiguous to Wyoming and have successfully completed a curriculum at least as stringent as that imposed under
W.S.
21
‑
16
‑
1307
for Hathaway honor scholarships.

(c)

A Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship shall be for the
cost of attendance
of the student for attendance at an eligible institution, but not to exceed the maximum dollar amount provided to students receiving a trustee scholarship at the University of Wyoming

and subject to reduction in accordance with W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1309(a)
. No student shall be eligible for a scholarship under this section for more than the equivalent of eight (8) full
‑
time semesters. Minimum continuing eligibility and reinstatement eligibility requirements for a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship shall be the same as requirements for a Hathaway honors scholarship. These minimum requirements may be increased by rule of the department to requirements
no more stringent than those imposed by the University of Wyoming for recipients of a trustee scholarship. Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarships may be reduced in the same manner and to lower levels as provided for Hathaway honor scholarships for failure to meet continuing eligibility requirements.

(d)

Scholarships under this section shall not be subject to the provisions of W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1308, but shall be administered by the department of education in accordance with the provisions of this section and the following:

(i)

The department shall, in consultation with University of Wyoming and community college admissions officers, the Wyoming community college commission and financial aid officers, promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this section. The consultation shall include development of a means for informing students in contiguous states of the availability of scholarships under this section;

(ii)

Eligible institutions shall provide information required by the department as necessary to fulfill its duties under this section;

(iii)

Students shall make application for scholarships under this section with the department of education at the time of applying for admission or at such earlier time as established by rule of the department. The application shall contain information required by rule of the department. The application shall require each applicant to verify under penalty of false swearing under W.S. 6
‑
5
‑
303, that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony in this state or another jurisdiction;

(iv)

The
department shall determine and certify to the state treasurer the amount of scholarships awarded under this section for attendance at each eligible institution not later than September 1 for the fall semester and not later than January 15 for the spring semester. Upon receipt of the certification the state treasurer shall pay from the scholarship expenditure account the amount certified by the department;

(v)

The same information required to be reported under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1308 for Hathaway provisional, opportunity and honors scholarships shall be reported for scholarships awarded under this section.

(e)

Before awarding a scholarship pursuant to this section, the department of education shall obtain an agreement from each student, or their guardian, under which the student agrees to:

(i)

Actively engage in work in Wyoming for one (1) year or attend graduate school at the University of Wyoming for one (1) year, for every four (4) academic semesters or portions thereof in which a scholarship under this section was provided
. The department shall establish by rule the commencement of the period for undertaking the requirements of this paragraph, which period shall begin not later than one
(1)
year after the completion of the last semester in which a scholarship was received under this section
; or

(ii)

Repay all scholarship amounts provided pursuant to this section, together with interest which
shall begin accruing four (4) years after execution of the agreement. However, interest shall begin to accrue immediately upon the department determining that the student has withdrawn from the Wyoming institution of higher education or is otherwise not making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of a degree or program. Money expended under this section shall accrue at an annual interest rate equal to that charged for federal Stafford loans at the time interest begins to accrue, which rate shall be adjusted annually to match the federal Stafford loan rate. In no event shall the interest rate be greater than eight percent (8%). Any amounts repaid by scholarship recipients shall be deposited to the Hathaway student scholarship endowment fund created by W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
204(
u)(vii).

Section 2
.

W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1302(
a),
21
‑
16
‑
1309(b)(i) and (ii)
, 21
‑
17
‑
105 by creating a new subsection (h) and 21
‑
18
‑
202(a)(ii)
are amended to read:

21
‑
16
‑
1302
.

Hathaway scholarship expenditure account created; reserve account created; use and appropriation of funds.

(a)

The Hathaway scholarship expenditure account is created to consist of earnings from the Hathaway student scholarship endowment fund created by W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
204(
u)(vii) and such other funds appropriated by the legislature to the expenditure account. Eighty percent (80%) of all monies deposited to the expenditure account under this section shall be available for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304
,

and
21
‑
16
‑
1305
and 21
‑
16
‑
1312
. Twenty percent (20%) of all monies deposited to the expenditure account under this section shall be available for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1306. Monies within the expenditure account are continuously appropriated to the state treasurer for distribution to eligible institutions based on scholarships awarded under this article. All unexpended and unencumbered monies within the expenditure account at the end of each fiscal year shall be deposited by the state treasurer to the Hathaway student scholarship reserve account.

21
‑
16
‑
1309
.

Scholarship amounts.

(b)

To the extent sufficient funds are not available in the expenditure account to fund all scholarships as provided under this article:

(i)

Funds available for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304
,

and
21
‑
16
‑
1305
and 21
‑
16
‑
1312
shall be used for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1306 after all scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304
,

and
21
‑
16
‑
1305
and 21
‑
16
‑
1312
have been paid;

(ii)

Funds available for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1306 shall be used for scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304
,

and
21
‑
16
‑
1305
and 21
‑
16
‑
1312
after all scholarships under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1306 have been paid;

21
‑
17
‑
105
.

Tuition to be as nearly free as possible; number, qualifications and selection of students for reduced tuition; tuition for veterans, their spouses and children; reciprocal residency.

(h)

Trustees shall through regulation provide that students receiving a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship in any amount shall qualify for resident tuition at the
university each semester the student receives the scholarship.

21
‑
18
‑
202
.

Powers
and duties of the commission.

(a)

The commission shall perform the following general functions:

(ii)

Establish tuition rates for the community colleges
. In establishing tuition rates, the commission shall provide that students receiving a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship in any amount shall qualify for resident tuition each semester the student receives the scholarship
;

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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HB0191