2024 -- S 2551

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LC005064

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP -- RHODE

ISLAND HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PILOT PROGRAM

     Introduced By: Senators Gu, Pearson, Lawson, Mack, Quezada, Murray, DiPalma, and
Bissaillon

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2024

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-107-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-107 entitled "Rhode

Island Promise Scholarship" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship.

     (a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in

the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student:

     (1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by

the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified

from time to time (“residency policy”); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high

school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age;

provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high

school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the

condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its

municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary

and secondary education;

     (2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island

on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester

immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma; provided, on and after July

1, 2024, the time for students to enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island and

qualify for the scholarship pursuant to this section shall be extended to up to one year after the

student's high school graduation;

     (3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who

are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the

community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode

Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program;

     (4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis;

     (5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or

greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island;

     (6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of

Rhode Island;

     (7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and

     (8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.

     The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this

commitment from recipient students.

     (b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section

(“specified conditions”):

     (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of

absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical

or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship

program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other

applicable eligibility requirements;

     (2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member

of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more

specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or

will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue

to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special

military training or deployment; and

     (3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the

provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be

afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of

1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school

diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an

associate’s degree.

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     SECTION 2. Section 16-113-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-113 entitled "Rhode

Island Hope Scholarship Pilot Program Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-113-6. Eligibility for merit-based tuition reduction scholarship at Rhode Island

college.

     (a) Beginning with the students who enrolled at Rhode Island college in the fall of 2023, a

student:

     (1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by

the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified

from time to time (“residency policy”);

     (2) Must be a currently enrolled full-time student who has declared a major and earned a

minimum of sixty (60) total credit hours towards an eligible program of study, as determined by

Rhode Island college;

     (3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification by the deadline

prescribed by Rhode Island college for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding

under the scholarship program; provided that, persons who are legally unable to complete the

FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by Rhode Island college, by the deadline

prescribed by Rhode Island college, for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding

under the scholarship program;

     (4) Must enroll or have enrolled full-time as a freshman as a first-time student and continue

this chapter; provided, on and after July 1, 2024, the time for students to enroll and attend Rhode

Island college and qualify for the scholarship pursuant to this section shall be extended to up to one

year after the student's high school graduation;

     (5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or

greater, as determined by Rhode Island college, prior to obtaining the scholarship and also as a

condition of being able to continue to be a scholarship recipient;

     (6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by Rhode Island college and

must complete both the student’s freshman and sophomore years at Rhode Island college, or in the

case of an adult student, have completed sixty (60) credit hours of tuition and mandatory fees at

Rhode Island college over a duration of no more than four (4) years;

     (7) Must not have already received an award under this program or under chapter 107 of

this title; and

     (8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.

     (b) Rhode Island college, in conjunction with the office of the postsecondary

commissioner, shall develop a policy that will secure the commitment set forth in subsection (a) of

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this section from recipient students.

     (c) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section

(“specified conditions”):

     (1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of

absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical

or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship

program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other

applicable eligibility requirements;

     (2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member

of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more

specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or

will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue

to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special

military training or deployment; and

     (3) Students enrolled in Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2021, who have attained junior

status at Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2023, or who enrolled in Rhode Island college as of July

1, 2022, and who have attained junior status at Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2024, and who

are otherwise in compliance with this chapter, shall be eligible for a hope scholarship under this

chapter.

     (4) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the

provisions of this section, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all

reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including,

but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis and taking longer than four (4) years to graduate

with a bachelor’s degree.

     (d) The decision of whether or not a student has attained junior or senior status by the

appropriate date shall be determined by the appropriate body of Rhode Island college, subject to

the rules, regulations, and procedures established pursuant to § 16-113-8.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP -- RHODE

ISLAND HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PILOT PROGRAM

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     This act would extend the time for which a student may enroll in either the community

college of Rhode Island or Rhode Island college in order to qualify for the Promise Scholarship or

the Hope Scholarship would be extended up to one year after the student's high school graduation.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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