Removes Selective Service registration as requirement for eligibility under State student financial aid programs.
Impact
The repeal of the prior statutory requirement (N.J.S.18A:71B-6) signifies a significant change in how eligibility for scholarships, particularly those targeting the children of law enforcement professionals killed in the line of duty, will be determined. The Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Scholarships will continue to be awarded to eligible applicants, but without the need for Selective Service compliance verification, potentially broadening access to these vital funds for many eligible students. The alignment with federal standards is intended to simplify the application process for student aid in New Jersey.
Summary
A1194 is a bill introduced in New Jersey that removes the requirement for students to demonstrate compliance with Selective Service registration in order to qualify for State-funded student financial aid programs. This move aligns State financial aid eligibility requirements with recent changes in federal law brought about by the FAFSA Simplification Act enacted by Congress in December 2020. Under the new federal guidelines, male students are no longer required to register with the Selective Service to access federal financial aid, a shift that this bill aims to replicate at the state level.
Contention
While there appears to be a consensus on the need to streamline student financial aid processes, the bill also reflects ongoing discussions about the role of Selective Service registration in higher education funding. Some stakeholders might argue that compliance with Selective Service is a civic duty and that maintaining this requirement could encourage responsible citizenship among students. However, proponents of A1194 emphasize that the focus should be on accessibility to education without adding bureaucratic barriers that may limit enrollment, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Modifies Community College Opportunity Grant Program to permit adult students enrolled in postsecondary career and technical education programs to receive financial assistance.
Modifies Community College Opportunity Grant Program to permit adult students enrolled in postsecondary career and technical education programs to receive financial assistance.
Modifies Community College Opportunity Grant Program to permit adult students enrolled in postsecondary career and technical education programs to receive financial assistance.
Modifies Community College Opportunity Grant Program to permit adult students enrolled in postsecondary career and technical education programs to receive financial assistance.
Requires several State agencies to review and increase, if authorized, income eligibility standards for certain public assistance, school nutrition, and higher education student financial assistance programs; makes an appropriation.
To create the Alabama Fits All Scholarship Program; require the State Board of Education to contract with a program manager to administer the program; to authorize the program manager to establish scholarship accounts on behalf of eligible students; to prohibit a program manager from accepting scholarship funds in certain circumstances; to require fiscal safeguards and accountability measures; to require eligible schools and service providers to meet certain standards to be eligible to receive scholarship funds; to authorize the program manager to distribute scholarship funds; to require the State Board of Education to provide limited oversight of the program manager, including an appeal process for the program manager's administrative decisions; to prohibit certain regulations of eligible schools and eligible service providers; to require criminal history background information checks for employees and officers of a program manager; to provide for program funding; and to require the program manager and the board to submit reports on the program to the Legislature.