2022 -- S 2591 | |
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LC005461 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP | |
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Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Cano, Goodwin, McCaffrey, Ruggerio, DiMario, Euer, | |
Date Introduced: March 10, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 16-107-2, 16-107-4, 16-107-5, 16-107-6, 16-107-7 and 16-107-8 of |
2 | the General Laws in Chapter 16-107 entitled "Rhode Island Promise Scholarship" are hereby |
3 | amended to read as follows: |
4 | 16-107-2. Legislative findings and purpose. |
5 | (a) The general assembly finds and declares that: |
6 | (1) Education is critical for the state's young people to achieve their dreams and develop |
7 | their talents; |
8 | (2) The state's economic success depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce; and |
9 | (3) The state's future prosperity depends upon its ability to make educational opportunities |
10 | beyond high school available for all students as part of a free public education. |
11 | (b) In order to address the findings set forth in subsection (a), the purpose of this chapter |
12 | is to increase the number of students enrolling in and completing degrees on time from the |
13 | community college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions. |
14 | 16-107-4. Definitions. |
15 | When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings: |
16 | (1) "ADA" means the American with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., as may |
17 | be amended from time to time; |
18 | (2) "Eligible postsecondary institution" means Rhode Island college or the community |
19 | college of Rhode Island; |
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1 | (2)(3) "FAFSA" means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form; |
2 | (3)(4) "Mandatory fees and tuition" are the costs that every student is required to pay in |
3 | order to enroll in classes, and does not include room and board, textbooks, program fees that may |
4 | exist in some majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, meal plans, or travel; |
5 | (4)(5) "On track to graduate on time" means the standards determined by the community |
6 | college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions in establishing the expectation of a |
7 | student to graduate with: |
8 | (i) An an associate's degree within two (2) years of enrollment in the case of a student |
9 | attending the community college of Rhode Island full-time; or |
10 | (ii) A bachelor's degree within four (4) years of enrollment in the case of a student attending |
11 | Rhode Island college, or the prescribed completion time for a student completing a certificate at an |
12 | eligible postsecondary institution (recognizing that some students, including students who require |
13 | developmental education, are double majors, or are enrolled in certain professional programs may |
14 | require an extended time period for degree completion); |
15 | (5)(6) "Reasonable accommodations" means any necessary modifications or adjustment to |
16 | a facility, equipment, program, or manner of operation as required by the Americans with |
17 | Disabilities Act ("ADA") and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as |
18 | may be amended from time to time; |
19 | (6)(7) "Recipient student" means a student attending the community college of Rhode |
20 | Island who qualifies to receive the Rhode Island promise scholarship pursuant to § 16-107-6; |
21 | (7)(8) "Scholarship program" means the Rhode Island promise scholarship program that is |
22 | established pursuant to § 16-107-3; |
23 | (8)(9) "State" means the state of Rhode Island; and |
24 | (9)(10) "Student with a disability" means any student otherwise eligible pursuant to § 16- |
25 | 107-6 who has a physical, developmental, or hidden disability or disabilities, as defined in § 42- |
26 | 87-1, that would create a hardship or other functional obstacles preventing participation in this |
27 | program. |
28 | 16-107-5. Administration of scholarship program. |
29 | (a) The financial aid office, in conjunction with the office of enrollment management or |
30 | their respective equivalent offices, at the community college of Rhode Island an eligible |
31 | postsecondary institution, shall administer the scholarship program for state residents seeking |
32 | associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or certificates who meet the eligibility requirements in this |
33 | chapter. |
34 | (b) An award of the scholarship program shall cover the cost of two (2) years of tuition and |
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1 | mandatory fees, less federal and all other financial aid monies available to the recipient student. |
2 | (c) The scholarship program is limited to one award per student as required by § 16-107- |
3 | 6(a)(7), except in the case of a student that applies one scholarship to the cost of an associate's |
4 | degree at the community college of Rhode Island and then enrolls at Rhode Island college to |
5 | complete a degree in a qualifying program of study. |
6 | 16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship Eligibility for scholarship at the community |
7 | college of Rhode Island. |
8 | (a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in |
9 | the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student: |
10 | (1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by |
11 | the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified |
12 | from time to time ("residency policy"); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high |
13 | school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age; |
14 | provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high |
15 | school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the |
16 | condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its |
17 | municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary |
18 | and secondary education; |
19 | (2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island |
20 | on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester |
21 | immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma; |
22 | (3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who |
23 | are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the |
24 | community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode |
25 | Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program; |
26 | (4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis; |
27 | (5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or |
28 | greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island; |
29 | (6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of |
30 | Rhode Island; |
31 | (7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and |
32 | (8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation. |
33 | The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this |
34 | commitment from recipient students. |
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1 | (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section |
2 | ("specified conditions"): |
3 | (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of |
4 | absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student's medical or |
5 | personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship |
6 | program upon resuming the student's education so long as the student continues to meet all other |
7 | applicable eligibility requirements; |
8 | (2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member |
9 | of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more |
10 | specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or |
11 | will be participating in a deployment of the student's guard or reserve unit, the student may continue |
12 | to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student's basic or special |
13 | military training or deployment; and |
14 | (3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the |
15 | provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be |
16 | afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of |
17 | 1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school |
18 | diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an |
19 | associate's degree. |
20 | 16-107-7. Reporting and disbursement. |
21 | (a) On or before November 10 and May 10 of each fiscal year following fiscal year 2017, |
22 | the community college of Rhode Island eligible postsecondary institutions shall each submit a |
23 | report to the director of the office of management and budget, the state budget officer, the house |
24 | fiscal advisor, the senate fiscal advisor, the commissioner of postsecondary education, and the chair |
25 | of the council on postsecondary education detailing the number of students eligible to participate |
26 | in the scholarship program, the amount of federal and institutional financial aid anticipated to be |
27 | received by recipient students, the aggregate tuition and mandatory fee costs attributable to |
28 | recipient students, and the resulting total cost of the scholarship program to the state. The report |
29 | shall contain such data for both the current fiscal year and the most up-to-date forecast for the |
30 | following fiscal year. Data reported shall be subdivided by student-year cohort and shall be |
31 | accompanied by a written explanation detailing the estimating methodology utilized and any |
32 | impact(s) the forecasted data may present to institutional capacity, operational costs, and the |
33 | tuition/fee revenue base of the institution. |
34 | (b) On or before July 1, 2020, the community college of Rhode Island and annually |
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1 | thereafter, all eligible postsecondary institutions and the commissioner of postsecondary education |
2 | shall submit a report evaluating the program based on the first two cohorts to the governor, speaker |
3 | of the house, and the president of the senate. This evaluation shall include the following: |
4 | (1) The number of students who started in each cohort; |
5 | (2) The number of students in each cohort who have attained a degree or certification in an |
6 | on-time manner; |
7 | (3) The number of students in each cohort who have not attained a degree or certification |
8 | in an on-time manner and an analysis of why that has happened; |
9 | (4) The number of students in each cohort who began the program but have been unable to |
10 | continue or complete the program and an analysis of why that has happened; |
11 | (5) The costs of the program and the costs of continuing the program; |
12 | (6) Suggestions for ways to increase the success of the program; |
13 | (7) Recommendations as to modifying, continuing, expanding, curtailing, or discontinuing |
14 | the program; and |
15 | (8) Any such other recommendations or information as the community college of Rhode |
16 | Island eligible postsecondary institutions and the commissioner of postsecondary education deem |
17 | appropriate to include in the evaluation. |
18 | (c) The office of management and budget, in consultation with the office of the |
19 | postsecondary commissioner, shall oversee the apportionment and disbursement of all funds |
20 | appropriated for the purpose of the scholarship program. |
21 | 16-107-8. Rules and procedures. |
22 | The council on postsecondary education is hereby authorized to promulgate rules to |
23 | effectuate the purposes of this chapter and the community college of Rhode Island eligible |
24 | postsecondary institutions shall each establish appeal procedures for the award, denial, or |
25 | revocation of funding under the scholarship program. The rules shall be promulgated in accordance |
26 | with § 16-59-4. |
27 | SECTION 2. Chapter 16-107 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Promise |
28 | Scholarship" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: |
29 | 16-107-9. Eligibility for scholarship at Rhode Island college. |
30 | (a) Beginning with the students who enrolled at Rhode Island college in the fall of 2019, a |
31 | student shall: |
32 | (1) Qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by the |
33 | council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified |
34 | from time to time ("residency policy"); |
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1 | (2)(i) Enroll as a full-time student, declare a major and have earned a minimum of sixty |
2 | (60) credit hours towards an eligible program of study; |
3 | (ii) For the purpose of this section, an eligible program of study includes chemical |
4 | dependency/addiction studies, community and public health promotion, early childhood education, |
5 | elementary education, elementary education with concentration in special education, health care |
6 | administration, health sciences, medical imaging, nursing, secondary education, social work, |
7 | special education, and youth development; |
8 | (3) Complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification by the deadline prescribed |
9 | by Rhode Island college for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the |
10 | scholarship program; |
11 | (4) Enroll full-time as a freshman first-time student, except in the case of students enrolling |
12 | after completing an associate's degree at the community college of Rhode Island, and continue to |
13 | be enrolled on a full-time basis; |
14 | (5) Maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater, as |
15 | determined by Rhode Island college; |
16 | (6) Remain on track to graduate on time as determined by Rhode Island college; and |
17 | (7) Commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation. |
18 | Rhode Island college shall develop a policy that will secure this commitment from recipient |
19 | students. |
20 | (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section |
21 | ("specified conditions"): |
22 | (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of |
23 | absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student's medical or |
24 | personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship |
25 | program upon resuming the student's education as long as the student continues to meet all other |
26 | applicable eligibility requirements; and |
27 | (2) In the case of a recipient who is a member of the national guard or a member of a |
28 | reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more specified |
29 | conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or will be |
30 | participating in a deployment of the student's guard or reserve unit, the student may continue to |
31 | receive an award under the scholarship program upon the completion of the student's basic or |
32 | special military training or deployment. |
33 | (3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the |
34 | provisions of this section, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all |
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1 | reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including, |
2 | but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school diploma/GED by age |
3 | twenty-one (21), and taking longer than four (4) years to graduate with a bachelor's degree. |
4 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005461 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP | |
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1 | This act would expand the Rhode Island promise scholarship program to include students |
2 | at Rhode Island college as well as students with medical, personal leave, military obligations or |
3 | disabilities. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005461 | |
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