Researcher: JC Page 1 5/26/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 8 (File 139, as amended by Senate "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY
AND GRADUATE RETENTION.
SUMMARY
This bill extends eligibility for the state’s debt-free community college
program to returning students and increases the program’s minimum
award amounts.
The bill also makes changes to the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship
program, including:
1. limiting the program by excluding the regional-community
technical colleges, making their students ineligible to receive an
award under the program;
2. changing how scholarship funds are used, including requiring
the Office of Higher Education (OHE) to use certain federal
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations before General
Fund appropriations; and
3. allowing the program to use a student aid index as an alternative
to family contribution when determining student eligibility.
The bill also makes permanent the law exempting qualifying
independent colleges and universities from the Office of Higher
Education’s (OHE’s) program approval process for an unlimited
number of higher education programs per academic year and requires
independent higher education institutions to (1) at least annually update
the credentials database with any new, modified, or discontinued
programs and (2) file certain information with OHE.
The bill also makes many technical and conforming changes. 2023SB-00008-R01-BA.DOCX
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*Senate Amendment “A” (1) strikes the underlying bill’s provisions
(a) reallocating ARPA funds from the regional community-technical
colleges to the Connecticut State University System, (b) authorizing
bonding and requiring the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental
Loan Authority to use proceeds to establish a student loan subsidy
program for people employed in certain high-demand professions, and
(c) establishing a state income tax deduction for tax payers for student
loan interest during the taxable year; (2) reduces the underlying bill’s
increase in the minimum grant amount under the debt-free community
college program; and (3) adds provisions on (a) Roberta B. Willis
Scholarship program regarding appropriation allocation, award
distribution, and program eligibility, and (b) independent college and
university program approval.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 1 — DEBT-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Eligibility Expansion
Under current law, the state’s debt-free community college program
allows eligible Connecticut high school graduates who enroll as first-
time community-technical college students to receive awards on a
semester basis.
The bill removes requirements that (1) a qualifying student must be
a first-time enrollee at a regional community-technical college, which
extends program eligibility to returning students, and (2) awards must
be applied during a student’s first 48 consecutive months of community
college attendance, allowing them to receive the award if they meet all
other eligibility requirements. As under existing law, an award is
available to a qualifying student for the first 72 credit hours they earn.
The bill also makes conforming changes by eliminating provisions for
separate eligibility requirements for qualifying students who take a
medical or personal leave of absence or are called to active duty in the
armed forces while enrolled in a community college.
Award Increase 2023SB-00008-R01-BA.DOCX
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Currently, funds awarded to eligible students under the debt-free
community college program (1) cover the unpaid portion of the
institutional costs (i.e., tuition and fees minus scholarships; grants; and
federal, state, and institutional aid awarded to the student excluding
loans) or (2) provide a minimum award of $250 for a full-time student
or $150 for a part-time student, whichever is greater.
The bill increases the minimum awards, from $250 to $500 for a full-
time student, and $150 to $250 for a part-time student.
§§ 2-3 — ROBERTA B. WILLIS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Allocation of Funds
Current law requires the General Assembly to allocate funds to OHE
for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program. The bill requires OHE,
for FY 24, to make awards for the program from any funds allocated to
the office from federal ARPA funding until they are exhausted, before
making any awards or allocating any funds from General Fund
appropriations. The bill also exempts any unused appropriations from
automatically lapsing when the fiscal year ends.
Under current law, at least 20% but no more than 30% of available
appropriations are allocated to the need and merit-based grant. The bill
maintains the 20% minimum but caps the maximum allocation at 30%
of available funds or $10 million, whichever is greater.
Regional-Community Technical Colleges
The bill excludes the regional-community technical colleges from the
scholarship program, which makes students at these institutions
ineligible to receive an award under the program. It makes several
conforming changes.
Award Distribution and Student Eligibility
Need and Merit-Based Grants. Under existing law and unchanged
by the bill, the need and merit-based grants are available to state
residents who are enrolled full- or part-time as an undergraduate
student at any Connecticut public or independent college or university. 2023SB-00008-R01-BA.DOCX
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Current law requires OHE to make the determination of financial
need based on the family contribution for educational costs as computed
from the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Beginning July 1, 2024, the bill also updates statutory references to
“family contribution” in the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program to
“student aid index” to reflect changes in federal law. (The federal
FAFSA Simplification Act (part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2021 – P.L. 116-260) phases out the “Expected Family Contribution” and
replaces it with “Student Aid Index”). Under the bill, “student aid
index” is the index used to determine financial aid eligibility as
computed from a student’s FAFSA.
Under current law, OHE makes awards on a sliding scale up to a
maximum federal family contribution set annually by OHE and based
on funding levels and the number of eligible applicants. Under the bill,
as an alternative to family contribution, OHE can use student aid index
when making need and merit-based awards.
§ 4 — INDEPENDENT COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PROGRAM
APPROVAL
Current law exempts qualifying independent colleges and
universities from OHE’s approval process for an unlimited number of
new programs until June 30, 2023, but beginning July 1, 2023, it limits
the exemptions to 15 new programs in any academic year.
The bill removes the restrictions that begin FY 23, which makes
permanent the law exempting qualifying independent colleges and
universities from OHE’s program approval process for an unlimited
number of higher education programs per academic year.
Under existing law and the bill, institutions qualify for these
exemptions if they:
1. are eligible to participate in the Federal Family Education Loan
program;
2. have a financial responsibility score of at least 1.5, as determined
by the U.S. Department of Education (this score reflects the 2023SB-00008-R01-BA.DOCX
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overall relative financial health of institutions); and
3. have been located in Connecticut and accredited as a degree-
granting institution in good standing for at least 10 years by a
federally recognized regional accrediting association.
The bill makes a corresponding change to an annual reporting
requirement. Under current law, institutions must file certain
information with OHE, including a description of any new programs in
excess of the 15. The bill instead requires exempt independent colleges
and universities to do the following:
1. by the last day of each semester, but at least annually, update the
credentials database with any new higher learning programs that
were introduced or any existing higher learning programs that
were modified or discontinued during the semester and
2. starting by July 1, 2024, annually file with OHE the institution’s
(a) current program approval process and all governing board
actions concerning approval of any new higher learning
program, and (b) financial responsibility composite score.
Currently Exempt Institutions
In practice, Connecticut College, Trinity College, Wesleyan
University, and Yale University are already exempt from OHE’s
program approval authority. These institutions, classified by OHE as
national independents, are longstanding institutions that predate the
state’s regulation of postsecondary academic programs. Additionally,
the institutions’ charters give the schools the authority to decide which
degrees to confer and do not require state approval for additional
degrees.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 21 Nay 1 (03/07/2023)