Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB07161 Compare Versions

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Version 2 (New)

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7		-	General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7161
	4	+	LCO No. 4331 1 of 3
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	6	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7161
8	7		January Session, 2019
	8	+	LCO No. 4331
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	11	+	Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
	12	+	EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
	13	+
	14	+
	15	+	Introduced by:
	16	+	(HED)
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14	21		AN ACT ESTABLISHING FINISH LINE GRANTS.
15	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
16	23		Assembly convened:
17	24
18	25		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) For the purposes of this 1
19	26		section: 2
20	27		(1) "Award" means (A) the unpaid portion, if any, of a qualifying 3
21	28		student's eligible institutional costs after subtracting his or her 4
22	29		financial aid, or (B) five hundred dollars, whichever is greater; 5
23	30		(2) "Eligible institutional costs" means the tuition and required fees 6
24	31		for an individual student that are published by each public institution 7
25	32		of higher education; 8
26	33		(3) "Financial aid" means the sum of all scholarships, grants and 9
27	34		federal, state and institutional aid received by a qualifying student. 10
28	35		"Financial aid" does not include any federal, state or private student 11
29	36		loans received by a qualifying student; 12
30	37		(4) "Qualifying student" means any person who (A) is a full-time 13
31		-	undergraduate student enrolled at a public institution of higher 14
	38	+	undergraduate student enrolled at a public institution of higher 14 Raised Bill No. 7161
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32	44		education, (B) is classified as an in-state student pursuant to section 15
33	45		10a-29 of the general statutes, (C) possesses an undergraduate college 16
34	46		cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 and has earned half of 17
35		-	the credit hours required for completion of an associate or bachelor's 18 Substitute Bill No. 7161
	47	+	the credit hours required for completion of an associate or bachelor's 18
	48	+	degree, (D) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student 19
	49	+	Aid, (E) has an expected family contribution for educational costs, as 20
	50	+	computed from the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid, 21
	51	+	of seven thousand five hundred dollars or less, and (F) has accepted all 22
	52	+	available financial aid; 23
	53	+	(5) "Full-time undergraduate student" means a student who is 24
	54	+	enrolled at a public institution of higher education in a course of study 25
	55	+	leading to an associate or bachelor's degree and who is carrying (A) 26
	56	+	twelve or more semester credit hours in a semester, or (B) thirty or 27
	57	+	more semester credit hours in an academic year; and 28
	58	+	(6) "Public institution of higher education" means the constituent 29
	59	+	units of the state system of higher education identified in subdivisions 30
	60	+	(1) and (2) of section 10a-1 of the general statutes. 31
	61	+	(b) On or before the start of the fall semester of 2019, the state, acting 32
	62	+	through the Office of Higher Education, shall establish the Finish Line 33
	63	+	Grant program to annually make awards to qualifying students for 34
	64	+	eligible institutional costs. An award shall be available to a qualifying 35
	65	+	student when the qualifying student has earned half of the credit hours 36
	66	+	required for completion of the qualifying student's first associate or 37
	67	+	bachelor's degree program, provided the qualifying student meets and 38
	68	+	continues to meet the requirements of this section. 39
	69	+	(c) On or before the start of the fall semester of 2019, and each 40
	70	+	semester thereafter, each public institution of higher education shall 41
	71	+	conduct a financial and academic audit to determine the number of 42
	72	+	qualifying students enrolled at the institution and the amount of the 43
	73	+	award to be made to each qualifying student under this section. A 44
	74	+	public institution of higher education shall not use an award to 45
	75	+	supplant any state or institutional aid otherwise available to a 46 Raised Bill No. 7161
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42		-	degree, (D) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student 19
43		-	Aid or an institutionally accepted financial aid application, (E) has an 20
44		-	expected family contribution for educational costs, as computed from 21
45		-	the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid or 22
46		-	institutionally accepted financial aid application, of seven thousand 23
47		-	five hundred dollars or less, and (F) has accepted all available financial 24
48		-	aid; 25
49		-	(5) "Full-time undergraduate student" means a student who is 26
50		-	enrolled at a public institution of higher education in a course of study 27
51		-	leading to an associate or bachelor's degree and who is carrying (A) 28
52		-	twelve or more semester credit hours in a semester, or (B) thirty or 29
53		-	more semester credit hours in an academic year; and 30
54		-	(6) "Public institution of higher education" means the constituent 31
55		-	units of the state system of higher education identified in subdivisions 32
56		-	(1) and (2) of section 10a-1 of the general statutes. 33
57		-	(b) Before the start of the fall semester of 2020, the state, acting 34
58		-	through the Office of Higher Education, shall establish the Finish Line 35
59		-	Grant program to annually make awards to qualifying students for 36
60		-	eligible institutional costs. An award shall be available to a qualifying 37
61		-	student when the qualifying student has earned half of the credit hours 38
62		-	required for completion of the qualifying student's first associate or 39
63		-	bachelor's degree program, provided the qualifying student meets and 40
64		-	continues to meet the requirements of this section. 41
65		-	(c) Before the start of the fall semester of 2020, and each semester 42
66		-	thereafter, each public institution of higher education shall conduct a 43
67		-	financial and academic audit to determine the number of qualifying 44
68		-	students enrolled at the institution and the amount of the award to be 45
69		-	made to each qualifying student under this section. A public 46
70		-	institution of higher education shall not use an award to supplant any 47
71		-	state or institutional aid otherwise available to a qualifying student. 48
72		-	The amount of the annual appropriation to be allocated to each public 49
73		-	institution of higher education shall be the sum of all awards made to 50 Substitute Bill No. 7161
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80		-	qualifying students enrolled at the public institution of higher 51
81		-	education during each semester of the prior academic year. If the sum 52
82		-	of all awards made to qualifying students exceeds the amount of the 53
83		-	annual appropriation for the Finish Line Grant program in any year, 54
84		-	the Office of Higher Education shall prioritize allocations in 55
85		-	accordance with criteria developed by the office. Not later than 56
86		-	September first and February first, annually, each public institution of 57
87		-	higher education shall report the sum of all awards made to qualifying 58
88		-	students and the results from the financial and academic audit 59
89		-	conducted each semester to the Office of Higher Education. Each 60
90		-	public institution of higher education shall expend all of the moneys 61
91		-	received under the Finish Line Grant program as direct financial 62
92		-	assistance only for eligible institutional costs. 63
93		-	(d) Any qualifying student receiving an award under this section 64
94		-	shall participate in a volunteer-based mentorship and counseling 65
95		-	program, as prescribed by the Office of Higher Education. 66
96		-	(e) Not later than January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the Office 67
97		-	of Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of 68
98		-	section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of 69
99		-	the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher 70
100		-	education and employment advancement and appropriations on the 71
101		-	Finish Line Grant program. 72
	81	+	qualifying student. The amount of the annual appropriation to be 47
	82	+	allocated to each public institution of higher education shall be the 48
	83	+	sum of all awards made to qualifying students enrolled at the public 49
	84	+	institution of higher education during each semester of the prior 50
	85	+	academic year. If the sum of all awards made to qualifying students 51
	86	+	exceeds the amount of the annual appropriation for the Finish Line 52
	87	+	Grant program in any year, the Office of Higher Education shall 53
	88	+	prioritize allocations in accordance with criteria developed by the 54
	89	+	office. Not later than September first and February first, annually, each 55
	90	+	public institution of higher education shall report the sum of all 56
	91	+	awards made to qualifying students and the results from the financial 57
	92	+	and academic audit conducted each semester to the Office of Higher 58
	93	+	Education. Each public institution of higher education shall expend all 59
	94	+	of the moneys received under the Finish Line Grant program as direct 60
	95	+	financial assistance only for eligible institutional costs. 61
	96	+	(d) Any qualifying student receiving an award under this section 62
	97	+	shall participate in a volunteer-based mentorship and counseling 63
	98	+	program, as prescribed by the Office of Higher Education. 64
	99	+	(e) Not later than January 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Office 65
	100	+	of Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of 66
	101	+	section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of 67
	102	+	the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher 68
	103	+	education and employment advancement and appropriations on the 69
	104	+	Finish Line Grant program. 70
102	105		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
103	106		sections:
104	107
105	108		Section 1 July 1, 2019 New section
106	109
107		-	HED Joint Favorable Subst.
108		-
	110	+	Statement of Purpose:
	111	+	To allow undergraduate students at public institutions of higher
	112	+	education to finish earning their degrees without student loans.
	113	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
	114	+	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
	115	+	not underlined.]