SB175ENROLLED
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6YXW3Z-2
By Senators Orr, Albritton, Livingston, Butler, Allen,
Waggoner, Roberts, Jones
RFD: Conference Committee on SB175
First Read: 05-Apr-23
2023 Regular Session
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Enrolled, An Act,
To establish the ReEngage Alabama Grant Program; to
provide grant award payments to eligible adult learners; to
provide eligibility standards, and to provide for
administration by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education;
relating to grants for short-term credentials; to establish
the Alabama Short-Term Credential Scholarship Program to
provide grants to Alabama residents to help them earn
short-term credentials; to determine eligible recipients; to
establish procedures for administering the program; to set
forth the process by which the program will be funded; and to
repeal the Alabama Apprenticeship Tax Credit Act commencing
with Section 40-18-422, Code of Alabama 1975.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. This article shall be known and may be cited
as the ReEngage Alabama Grant Program.
Section 2. The purpose of the ReEngage Alabama Grant
Program is to do all of the following:
(1) Increase the number of Alabama adults with college
degrees.
(2) Encourage adults who have earned some college
credit hours to return to college, enroll, and complete a
college degree program that is connected with workforce
development needs and aligned with Alabama's high demand
occupations list.
(3) Provide financial assistance to adult learners of
the state for postsecondary education in the state.
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Section 3. For the purposes of this article the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) ACADEMIC TERM. A portion of an academic year, such
as a quarter or semester, during which an institution of
higher education holds classes including, but not limited to,
Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer semesters.
(2) ADULT LEARNER. An individual who is 25 years of age
or older and returning to college.
(3) ALABAMA RESIDENT. An individual who has been
classified as an in-state resident by an authorized
institution, who has established residency within this state
for at least a 12-month period prior to the beginning of the
term for which financial assistance is requested, and who is
in this state for other than a temporary purpose.
(4) APPROVED INSTITUTION. A state-supported institution
of higher education or a private nonprofit institution of
higher education that satisfies all of the following:
a. Is accredited by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or the Council on
Occupational Education.
b. Is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid
program funds.
c. Maintains its primary headquarters in Alabama.
(5) AUTHORIZED INSTITUTION. An approved institution
that files a signed agreement with the commission to comply
with all rules and procedures of the ReEngage Alabama Grant
Program as provided by the commission.
(6) COMMISSION. The Alabama Commission on Higher
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Education.
(7) CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT. When an adult learner is
making academic progress toward degree completion without a
stop-out in enrollment of more than one consecutive semester
or quarter, such as Fall/Winter to Spring, Spring to
Summer/Fall, or Summer to Fall.
(8) ELIGIBLE PROGRAM. A nonsectarian, secular
educational program that is aligned with Alabama's high demand
workforce needs adopted by the Alabama Committee on
Credentialing and Career Pathways.
(9) ELIGIBLE STUDENT. An individual who completed the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), who is in
pursuit of his or her first associate or baccalaureate degree,
who satisfies the criteria set out in this act, and who is
found to be eligible by rules adopted by the commission.
(10) GRANT. A financial award by the State of Alabama
to defray the cost of tuition and mandatory fees to an
eligible adult learner who is currently enrolled in an
authorized institution.
(11) PROGRAM. The ReEngage Alabama Grant Program
created by this act.
(12) YEAR. An academic year that shall be divided into
Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. The term does not mean
calendar or fiscal year.
Section 4. (a) The program shall be administered by the
commission, which may adopt any rules necessary for the
administration of the program.
(b) The commission shall adopt standards for awarding
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grant payments to an eligible adult learner who satisfies all
of the following:
(1) Is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
United States.
(2) Is a resident of Alabama.
(3) Has not attended a postsecondary education
institution for at least two years prior to their current
enrollment.
Section 5. To be eligible for the grant award, an
applicant shall satisfy all of the following:
(1) Be classified as an undergraduate student with the
completion of at least 36 credit hours for an associate degree
or at least 72 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree of a
college degree program that is connected with workforce
development needs and aligned with Alabama's high demand
occupations list adopted by the Alabama Committee on
Credentialing and Career Pathways.
(2) Show proof of residency.
(3) Have good academic standing as defined by the
institution.
(4) Has been accepted to or is enrolled as a full-time
or part-time student in an eligible program in an authorized
institution leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree
and has not attended a postsecondary education institution at
least two years prior.
(5) Satisfies continuing eligibility each term by
enrolling in six hours or more per term continuously as
established by the commission.
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Section 6. (a) The program shall be used to provide
grant award payments for eligible adult learners up to the
maximum award amount of three thousand dollars ($3,000) for
universities and one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500)
for community colleges per academic semester for a full-time
student. Proportional awards shall be given for students
taking six to 11 hours and students enrolled in less common
academic terms, such as quarters, Summer terms, and
intersessions.
(b) Each grant shall be renewable for the number of
terms normally required by the institution for the course of
study in which the adult learner is enrolled as long as the
student is continuously enrolled until the student receives an
associate degree or a baccalaureate degree. The commission
shall grant a renewal upon verification that the student
remains an eligible student.
(c) Grant award payments shall be distributed directly
to the approved institution on behalf of the student during
the applicable year.
(d) The requirements of this act are contingent upon
available funding for the program.
(e) The commission shall determine the necessary
procedures for awarding grant award payments if the number of
eligible applicants and recipients exceeds available funding.
(f) Any funds appropriated to the program shall be
nonreverting.
(g) A percentage of the grant program's appropriations
may be expended for the operation and maintenance of the
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program.
(h) Each authorized institution that enrolls an adult
learner who is eligible for the tuition and mandatory fees
benefits provided by this program shall take necessary action
to ensure that the student is aware of all other benefits that
he or she may be entitled to under any other federal and state
educational benefits, and any student grant or scholarship. In
order to receive the benefits provided by this program, the
student shall take the necessary steps to utilize all of the
above benefits.
Section 7. (a) The commission shall provide an annual
report to the Chair of the House Ways and Means Education
Committee and the Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation
Education Committee to account for the use of funds and the
effectiveness of the grant program established under this
article.
(b) The commission shall consult with the Alabama
Commission on the Evaluation of Services to develop
performance metrics and other measures of success to include
in the annual report required pursuant to subsection (a).
During the 2027 Fiscal Year, the program shall undergo an
evaluation by the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
Services to determine whether the program is impacting the
determined measures of success.
Section 8. This article shall be known and may be cited
as the Alabama Short-Term Credential Scholarship Program.
Section 9. The following words used in this article
have the following meanings.
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(1) ELIGIBLE STUDENT. An Alabama resident who is
registered for or intends to register to take a short-term
credential program at an institution within the Alabama
Community College System.
(2) GRANT. A payment made to an institution within the
Alabama Community College System to be applied toward an
eligible student's qualifying educational expenses for a
short-term credential program.
(3) QUALIFYING EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES. Tuition, fees,
books, materials, and supplies required for or on behalf of an
eligible student by the Alabama Community College System
institution for participation in a short-term credential
program.
(4) SHORT-TERM CREDENTIAL PROGRAM. A program at an
Alabama Community College System institution that can be
completed in two semesters or less and that will lead to
in-demand career opportunities in the region in which the
community college where the course is taken is located. In
developing the short-term credential program, each community
college shall work with local businesses and regional
workforce councils and consult the regional and statewide
lists of in-demand occupations to determine the in-demand
careers and applicable curriculum.
Section 10. (a) There is hereby established a
short-term credential program that will provide grants to help
pay for qualifying educational expenses for eligible students
at any Alabama Community College System institution.
(b) An eligible student may receive a grant of up to
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four thousand five hundred dollars ($4,500) that shall be paid
to the Alabama Community College System institution where the
eligible student enrolls in a short-term credential program
and shall be applied toward the eligible student's qualifying
educational expenses required to complete a credit or
non-credit short-term credential program that provides
training for in-demand careers in the relevant region.
(c) One-half of the grant shall be paid to the Alabama
Community College System institution within five days after
the eligible student's first day of class in the short-term
credential program, and the other one-half of the grant shall
be paid within five days after the eligible student's
completion of the short-term credential program. The second
one-half of the grant shall not be paid if the eligible
student does not complete the course, and in such a situation,
the eligible student shall be responsible for paying the
outstanding balance of any tuition or other fees owed to the
Alabama Community College System institution at which the
course was taken. If the eligible student does not complete
the short-term credential program within one calendar year
from the first day of the program's commencement, that
individual must repay the State of Alabama the initial
one-half of the grant that was paid to the Alabama Community
College System institution on his or her behalf.
(d) An eligible student who receives a grant under this
article may not receive another grant until one calendar year
after he or she completes the short-term credential program
for which the prior grant was awarded.
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Section 11. The Alabama Community College System shall
do all of the following:
(1) Adopt any policies and procedures necessary to
implement and administer this article.
(2) Establish standards for participation and
eligibility to receive a grant under this article.
(3) Establish the process by which eligible students
will apply for a grant.
(4) Ensure that grants provided under this article are
awarded in a manner that does not discriminate based on
gender, race, or disability status of the applicant.
(5) Ensure that all grant applicants are residents of
the State of Alabama.
(6) Ensure that all funding provided under this article
is expended for the sole purpose of helping to pay the
eligible student's qualifying educational expenses.
Section 12. (a) There is created within the State
Treasury a fund to be known as the Short-Term Credential
Scholarship Fund, which is authorized to accept funds
appropriated by the Legislature in the general appropriations
act or other appropriations acts.
(b) The grants provided under this article shall be
effective on January 1, 2024, and shall continue through
December 31, 2028, unless extended by an act of the
Legislature.
Section 13. (a) The Alabama Community College System
shall provide an annual report to the Chair of the House Ways
and Means Education Committee and the Chair of the Senate
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Finance and Taxation Education Committee to account for the
use of funds and the effectiveness of the grant program
established under this article.
(b) The Alabama Community College System shall consult
with the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services to
develop performance metrics and other measures of success to
include in the annual report required pursuant to subsection
(a). During the 2027 Fiscal Year, the program shall undergo an
evaluation by the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
Services to determine whether the program is impacting the
determined measures of success.
Section 14. The Apprenticeship Tax Credit, Chapter 18
of Title 40, commencing with Section 40-18-422, Code of
Alabama 1975, is repealed effective December 31, 2024, unless
extended by an act of the Legislature prior to that date for
no more than five additional years.
Section 15. This act shall become effective on the
first day of the third month following its passage and
approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
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________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB175
Senate 27-Apr-23
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate.
Senate 01-Jun-23
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended by Conference Committee Report.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Amended and passed: 25-May-23
House of Representatives
Passed 01-Jun-23, as amended by Conference Committee Report.
By: Senator Orr
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