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| 5 | 5 | | 2023 -- S 0242 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC000096 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Murray, Euer, DiMario, Cano, Britto, Lauria, Mack, |
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| 17 | 17 | | Acosta, and Kallman |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: February 16, 2023 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Finance |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Sections 16-107-2, 16-107-4, 16-107-5, 16-107-6, 16-107-7 and 16-107-8 of 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | the General Laws in Chapter 16-107 entitled "Rhode Island Promise Scholarship" are hereby 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | amended to read as follows: 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 16-107-2. Legislative findings and purpose. 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | (a) The general assembly finds and declares that: 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) Education is critical for the state’s young people to achieve their dreams and develop 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | their talents; 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) The state’s economic success depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce; and 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) The state’s future prosperity depends upon its ability to make educational opportunities 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | beyond high school available for all students as part of a free public education. 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) In order to address the findings set forth in subsection (a), the purpose of this chapter 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | is to increase the number of students enrolling in and completing degrees on time from the 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | community college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions. 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 16-107-4. Definitions. 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) “ADA” means the American with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., as may 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | be amended from time to time; 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) "Eligible postsecondary institution" means Rhode Island college or the community 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | college of Rhode Island; 19 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC000096 - Page 2 of 8 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2)(3) “FAFSA” means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form; 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3)(4) “Mandatory fees and tuition” are the costs that every student is required to pay in 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | order to enroll in classes, and does not include room and board, textbooks, program fees that may 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | exist in some majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, meal plans, or travel; 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (4)(5) “On track to graduate on time” means the standards determined by the community 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions in establishing the expectation of a 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | student to graduate with: 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | (i) An an associate’s degree within two (2) years of enrollment in the case of a student 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | attending the community college of Rhode Island full-time; or 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (ii) A bachelor's degree within four (4) years of enrollment in the case of a student attending 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | Rhode Island college, or the prescribed completion time for a student completing a certificate at an 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | eligible postsecondary institution (recognizing that some students, including students who require 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | developmental education, are double majors, or are enrolled in certain professional programs may 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | require an extended time period for degree completion); 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (5)(6) “Reasonable accommodations” means any necessary modifications or adjustment to 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | a facility, equipment, program, or manner of operation as required by the Americans with 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as 17 |
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| 62 | 62 | | may be amended from time to time; 18 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (6)(7) “Recipient student” means a student attending the community college of Rhode 19 |
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| 64 | 64 | | Island who qualifies to receive the Rhode Island promise scholarship pursuant to § 16-107-6; 20 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (7)(8) “Scholarship program” means the Rhode Island promise scholarship program that is 21 |
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| 66 | 66 | | established pursuant to § 16-107-3; 22 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (8)(9) “State” means the state of Rhode Island; and 23 |
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| 68 | 68 | | (9)(10) “Student with a disability” means any student otherwise eligible pursuant to § 16-24 |
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| 69 | 69 | | 107-6 who has a physical, developmental, or hidden disability or disabilities, as defined in § 42-25 |
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| 70 | 70 | | 87-1, that would create a hardship or other functional obstacles preventing participation in this 26 |
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| 71 | 71 | | program. 27 |
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| 72 | 72 | | 16-107-5. Administration of scholarship program. 28 |
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| 73 | 73 | | (a) The financial aid office, in conjunction with the office of enrollment management or 29 |
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| 74 | 74 | | their respective equivalent offices, at the community college of Rhode Island an eligible 30 |
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| 75 | 75 | | postsecondary institution, shall administer the scholarship program for state residents seeking 31 |
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| 76 | 76 | | associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or certificates who meet the eligibility requirements in this 32 |
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| 77 | 77 | | chapter. 33 |
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| 78 | 78 | | (b) An award of the scholarship program shall cover the cost of two (2) years of tuition and 34 |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | |
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| 81 | 81 | | LC000096 - Page 3 of 8 |
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| 82 | 82 | | mandatory fees, less federal and all other financial aid monies available to the recipient student. No 1 |
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| 83 | 83 | | grant received by students from the College Crusade Scholarship Act as established in chapter 70 2 |
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| 84 | 84 | | of this title shall be considered federal or financial aid for the purposes of this chapter. 3 |
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| 85 | 85 | | (c) The scholarship program is limited to one award per student as required by § 16-107-4 |
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| 86 | 86 | | 6(a)(7), except in the case of a student that applies one scholarship to the cost of an associate's 5 |
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| 87 | 87 | | degree at the community college of Rhode Island and then enrolls at Rhode Island college to 6 |
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| 88 | 88 | | complete a degree in a qualifying program of study. 7 |
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| 89 | 89 | | 16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship. Eligibility for scholarship at the community 8 |
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| 90 | 90 | | college of Rhode Island. 9 |
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| 91 | 91 | | (a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in 10 |
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| 92 | 92 | | the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student: 11 |
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| 93 | 93 | | (1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by 12 |
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| 94 | 94 | | the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified 13 |
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| 95 | 95 | | from time to time (“residency policy”); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high 14 |
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| 96 | 96 | | school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age; 15 |
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| 97 | 97 | | provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high 16 |
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| 98 | 98 | | school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the 17 |
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| 99 | 99 | | condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its 18 |
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| 100 | 100 | | municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary 19 |
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| 101 | 101 | | and secondary education; 20 |
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| 102 | 102 | | (2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island 21 |
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| 103 | 103 | | on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester 22 |
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| 104 | 104 | | immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma; 23 |
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| 105 | 105 | | (3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who 24 |
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| 106 | 106 | | are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the 25 |
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| 107 | 107 | | community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode 26 |
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| 108 | 108 | | Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program; 27 |
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| 109 | 109 | | (4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis; 28 |
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| 110 | 110 | | (5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or 29 |
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| 111 | 111 | | greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island; 30 |
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| 112 | 112 | | (6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of 31 |
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| 113 | 113 | | Rhode Island; 32 |
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| 114 | 114 | | (7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and 33 |
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| 115 | 115 | | (8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation. 34 |
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| 116 | 116 | | |
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| 117 | 117 | | |
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| 118 | 118 | | LC000096 - Page 4 of 8 |
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| 119 | 119 | | The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this 1 |
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| 120 | 120 | | commitment from recipient students. 2 |
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| 121 | 121 | | (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section 3 |
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| 122 | 122 | | (“specified conditions”): 4 |
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| 123 | 123 | | (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of 5 |
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| 124 | 124 | | absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical 6 |
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| 125 | 125 | | or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship 7 |
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| 126 | 126 | | program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other 8 |
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| 127 | 127 | | applicable eligibility requirements; 9 |
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| 128 | 128 | | (2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member 10 |
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| 129 | 129 | | of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more 11 |
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| 130 | 130 | | specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or 12 |
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| 131 | 131 | | will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue 13 |
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| 132 | 132 | | to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special 14 |
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| 133 | 133 | | military training or deployment; and 15 |
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| 134 | 134 | | (3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the 16 |
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| 135 | 135 | | provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be 17 |
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| 136 | 136 | | afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 18 |
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| 137 | 137 | | 1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school 19 |
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| 138 | 138 | | diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an 20 |
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| 139 | 139 | | associate’s degree. 21 |
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| 140 | 140 | | 16-107-7. Reporting and disbursement. 22 |
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| 141 | 141 | | (a) On or before November 10 and May 10 of each fiscal year following fiscal year 2017, 23 |
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| 142 | 142 | | the community college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions shall each submit a 24 |
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| 143 | 143 | | report to the director of the office of management and budget, the state budget officer, the house 25 |
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| 144 | 144 | | fiscal advisor, the senate fiscal advisor, the commissioner of postsecondary education, and the chair 26 |
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| 145 | 145 | | of the council on postsecondary education detailing the number of students eligible to participate 27 |
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| 146 | 146 | | in the scholarship program, the amount of federal and institutional financial aid anticipated to be 28 |
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| 147 | 147 | | received by recipient students, the aggregate tuition and mandatory fee costs attributable to 29 |
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| 148 | 148 | | recipient students, and the resulting total cost of the scholarship program to the state. The report 30 |
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| 149 | 149 | | shall contain such data for both the current fiscal year and the most up-to-date forecast for the 31 |
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| 150 | 150 | | following fiscal year. Data reported shall be subdivided by student-year cohort and shall be 32 |
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| 151 | 151 | | accompanied by a written explanation detailing the estimating methodology utilized and any 33 |
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| 152 | 152 | | impact(s) the forecasted data may present to institutional capacity, operational costs, and the 34 |
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| 153 | 153 | | |
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| 154 | 154 | | |
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| 155 | 155 | | LC000096 - Page 5 of 8 |
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| 156 | 156 | | tuition/fee revenue base of the institution. 1 |
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| 157 | 157 | | (b) On or before July 1, 2020, the community college of Rhode Island and annually 2 |
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| 158 | 158 | | thereafter, all eligible postsecondary institutions and the commissioner of postsecondary education 3 |
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| 159 | 159 | | shall submit a report evaluating the program based on the first two cohorts to the governor, speaker 4 |
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| 160 | 160 | | of the house, and the president of the senate. This evaluation shall include the following: 5 |
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| 161 | 161 | | (1) The number of students who started in each cohort; 6 |
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| 162 | 162 | | (2) The number of students in each cohort who have attained a degree or certification in an 7 |
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| 163 | 163 | | on-time manner; 8 |
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| 164 | 164 | | (3) The number of students in each cohort who have not attained a degree or certification 9 |
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| 165 | 165 | | in an on-time manner and an analysis of why that has happened; 10 |
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| 166 | 166 | | (4) The number of students in each cohort who began the program but have been unable to 11 |
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| 167 | 167 | | continue or complete the program and an analysis of why that has happened; 12 |
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| 168 | 168 | | (5) The costs of the program and the costs of continuing the program; 13 |
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| 169 | 169 | | (6) Suggestions for ways to increase the success of the program; 14 |
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| 170 | 170 | | (7) Recommendations as to modifying, continuing, expanding, curtailing, or discontinuing 15 |
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| 171 | 171 | | the program; and 16 |
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| 172 | 172 | | (8) Any such other recommendations or information as the community college of Rhode 17 |
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| 173 | 173 | | Island eligible postsecondary institutions and the commissioner of postsecondary education deem 18 |
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| 174 | 174 | | appropriate to include in the evaluation. 19 |
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| 175 | 175 | | (c) The office of management and budget, in consultation with the office of the 20 |
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| 176 | 176 | | postsecondary commissioner, shall oversee the apportionment and disbursement of all funds 21 |
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| 177 | 177 | | appropriated for the purpose of the scholarship program. 22 |
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| 178 | 178 | | 16-107-8. Rules and procedures. 23 |
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| 179 | 179 | | The council on postsecondary education is hereby authorized to promulgate rules to 24 |
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| 180 | 180 | | effectuate the purposes of this chapter and the community college of Rhode Island eligible 25 |
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| 181 | 181 | | postsecondary institutions shall each establish appeal procedures for the award, denial, or 26 |
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| 182 | 182 | | revocation of funding under the scholarship program. The rules shall be promulgated in accordance 27 |
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| 183 | 183 | | with § 16-59-4. 28 |
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| 184 | 184 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 16-107 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Promise 29 |
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| 185 | 185 | | Scholarship" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 30 |
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| 186 | 186 | | 16-107-9. Eligibility for scholarship at Rhode Island college. 31 |
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| 187 | 187 | | (a) Beginning with the students who enrolled at Rhode Island college in the fall of 2019, a 32 |
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| 188 | 188 | | student shall: 33 |
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| 189 | 189 | | (1) Qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by the 34 |
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| 190 | 190 | | |
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| 191 | 191 | | |
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| 192 | 192 | | LC000096 - Page 6 of 8 |
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| 193 | 193 | | council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified 1 |
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| 194 | 194 | | from time to time ("residency policy"); 2 |
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| 195 | 195 | | (2)(i) Enroll as a full-time student, declare a major and have earned a minimum of sixty 3 |
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| 196 | 196 | | (60) credit hours towards an eligible program of study; 4 |
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| 197 | 197 | | (ii) For the purpose of this section, an eligible program of study includes chemical 5 |
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| 198 | 198 | | dependency/addiction studies, community and public health promotion, early childhood education, 6 |
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| 199 | 199 | | elementary education, elementary education with concentration in special education, health care 7 |
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| 200 | 200 | | administration, health sciences, medical imaging, nursing, secondary education, social work, 8 |
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| 201 | 201 | | special education, and youth development; 9 |
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| 202 | 202 | | (3) Complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification by the deadline prescribed 10 |
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| 203 | 203 | | by Rhode Island college for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the 11 |
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| 204 | 204 | | scholarship program; 12 |
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| 205 | 205 | | (4) Enroll full-time as a freshman first-time student, except in the case of students enrolling 13 |
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| 206 | 206 | | after completing an associate's degree at the community college of Rhode Island, and continue to 14 |
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| 207 | 207 | | be enrolled on a full-time basis; 15 |
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| 208 | 208 | | (5) Maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater, as 16 |
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| 209 | 209 | | determined by Rhode Island college; 17 |
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| 210 | 210 | | (6) Remain on track to graduate on time as determined by Rhode Island college; and 18 |
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| 211 | 211 | | (7) Commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation. 19 |
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| 212 | 212 | | Rhode Island college shall develop a policy that will secure this commitment from recipient 20 |
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| 213 | 213 | | students. 21 |
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| 214 | 214 | | (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section 22 |
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| 215 | 215 | | ("specified conditions"): 23 |
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| 216 | 216 | | (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of 24 |
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| 217 | 217 | | absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student's medical or 25 |
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| 218 | 218 | | personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship 26 |
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| 219 | 219 | | program upon resuming the student's education as long as the student continues to meet all other 27 |
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| 220 | 220 | | applicable eligibility requirements; and 28 |
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| 221 | 221 | | (2) In the case of a recipient who is a member of the national guard or a member of a 29 |
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| 222 | 222 | | reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more specified 30 |
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| 223 | 223 | | conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or will be 31 |
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| 224 | 224 | | participating in a deployment of the student's guard or reserve unit, the student may continue to 32 |
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| 225 | 225 | | receive an award under the scholarship program upon the completion of the student's basic or 33 |
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| 226 | 226 | | special military training or deployment. 34 |
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| 227 | 227 | | |
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| 228 | 228 | | |
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| 229 | 229 | | LC000096 - Page 7 of 8 |
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| 230 | 230 | | (3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the 1 |
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| 231 | 231 | | provisions of this section, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all 2 |
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| 232 | 232 | | reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including, 3 |
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| 233 | 233 | | but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school diploma/GED by age 4 |
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| 234 | 234 | | twenty-one (21), and taking longer than four (4) years to graduate with a bachelor's degree. 5 |
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| 235 | 235 | | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 6 |
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| 237 | 237 | | LC000096 |
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| 240 | 240 | | |
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| 241 | 241 | | LC000096 - Page 8 of 8 |
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| 242 | 242 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 243 | 243 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 244 | 244 | | OF |
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| 245 | 245 | | A N A C T |
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| 246 | 246 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP |
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| 247 | 247 | | *** |
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| 248 | 248 | | This act would expand the Rhode Island promise scholarship program to include students 1 |
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| 249 | 249 | | at Rhode Island college as well as students with medical, personal leave, military obligations or 2 |
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| 250 | 250 | | disabilities. 3 |
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| 251 | 251 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 253 | 253 | | LC000096 |
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