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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0022 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC000462 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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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 -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCAT ION -- |
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| 16 | 16 | | STUDENT SUCCESS ACT |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Tikoian, Burke, Kallman, and Acosta |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: January 23, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Education |
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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. Section 16-59-9.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-59 entitled "Council on 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Postsecondary Education [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | is hereby amended to read as follows: 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 16-59-9.3. Student Success Act. 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of the general or public laws: 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) A student, other than a nonimmigrant alien within the meaning of 8 U.S.C. § 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1101(a)(15), who meets all of the following requirements shall be exempt from paying nonresident 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | tuition at Rhode Island public universities, colleges, or community colleges, if he or she: 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (i) Attended an approved Rhode Island high school for three (3) or more consecutive years 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | at least six (6) months; 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (ii) Continues to reside in the state of Rhode Island; 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | (iii) Has graduated from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high school 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | equivalency diploma from the state of Rhode Island; 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (iv) Has filed, or will file, upon matriculation, with the Rhode Island public university, 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | college, or community college of expected attendance, an affidavit stating that: 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (A) The student meets the requirements of subsections (1)(i) and (1)(ii) of this section; and 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (B) If the student is not a United States citizen and does not have a lawful immigration 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | status, that the student has filed an application for lawful immigration status, or will file the 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC000462 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | application as soon as the student is eligible to do so. The affidavit shall not require students to 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | reveal their immigration or citizenship status. 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) Any nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island for three 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (3) years six (6) months and has attended a Rhode Island high school for three (3) years at least six 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (6) months, will be eligible to pay the same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student. 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) Identifiable student information obtained pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | be confidential to the extent provided by state and federal law (including the federal Family 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)). If information obtained pursuant to this section 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | regarding a student’s immigration status is provided to any agency for purposes other than the 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | implementation of this section, the entity providing the information shall promptly notify the 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | student. 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (4) The Rhode Island council for postsecondary education shall prescribe rules and 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of this section. 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | ======== |
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| 59 | 59 | | LC000462 |
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| 60 | 60 | | ======== |
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| 61 | 61 | | |
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| 62 | 62 | | |
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| 63 | 63 | | LC000462 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 64 | 64 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 65 | 65 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 66 | 66 | | OF |
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| 67 | 67 | | A N A C T |
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| 68 | 68 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION -- |
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| 69 | 69 | | STUDENT SUCCESS ACT |
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| 70 | 70 | | *** |
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| 71 | 71 | | This act would reduce the time, from three (3) years to six (6) months, required for a 1 |
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| 72 | 72 | | nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island, to be eligible to pay the 2 |
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| 73 | 73 | | same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student. 3 |
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| 74 | 74 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 75 | 75 | | ======== |
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| 76 | 76 | | LC000462 |
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| 77 | 77 | | ======== |
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| 78 | 78 | | |
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