2024 -- S 2962 | |
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LC005826 | |
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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 STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TUITION WAIVER PILOT | |
PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE | |
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Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Zurier, and F. Lombardi | |
Date Introduced: April 05, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
2 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 72.13 |
4 | TUITION WAIVER PILOT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE |
5 | 42-72.13-1. Statement of purpose. |
6 | (a) There are many children in the custody of the department of children, youth, and |
7 | families ("DCYF") who have been in DCYF custody for several years and who have no family |
8 | resources or whose families have limited ability to provide funds for post-secondary education. |
9 | These children often possess the academic ability and the interest to pursue higher educational |
10 | goals, but are precluded from doing so because of the lack of family resources to assist in funding. |
11 | (b) The state has already invested considerable funds in children in DCYF custody through |
12 | the funding of residential placements, foster care, counseling services, and health care. |
13 | (c) Children in the care of the state or aging out of foster care have poor educational |
14 | outcomes that have been documented, and few achieve college graduation without substantial |
15 | assistance. The purpose, and goal of this chapter is to improve outcomes for current and former |
16 | foster youth who need support to improve educational attainment. Investment in their education |
17 | will help to ensure a successful transition to adulthood free of dependence on government support. |
18 | (d) To afford youth in foster care the opportunity comparable to children not in state |
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1 | custody who often enjoy greater opportunities to draw from family and other resources, there is |
2 | hereby established the tuition waiver pilot program for children in Rhode Island foster care. |
3 | 42-72.13-2. Definitions. |
4 | As used in this chapter: |
5 | (1) "Certificate" means any certificate program with labor market value as defined by the |
6 | postsecondary commissioner. |
7 | (2) "Department" means the department of children, youth, and families. |
8 | (3) "General education coursework" means the educational foundation of knowledge, |
9 | skills, and attitudes that prepare recipient students for success in their majors and their personal and |
10 | professional lives after graduation. It includes, but is not limited to, the required coursework of all |
11 | degrees developed by Rhode Island College that are approved by the council on postsecondary |
12 | education that are intended to ensure that all graduates of a state institution have a balanced core of |
13 | competencies and knowledge. General education course work is not limited to coursework |
14 | specifically required for one’s major. |
15 | (4) "Mandatory fees and tuition" means the costs that every student is required to pay in |
16 | order to enroll in classes, and shall include room and board, program fees that may exist in some |
17 | majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, fees for summer programs, and meal |
18 | plans. |
19 | (5) "On track to graduate on time" means the standards determined by Rhode Island |
20 | College in establishing the expectation of a student to graduate with an associate’s degree within |
21 | two (2) years, or a bachelor’s degree within four (4) years of enrollment, or the prescribed |
22 | completion time for a student completing a certificate, or the prescribed time for a student to obtain |
23 | the degree or certificate on a part-time basis. In promulgating this section, the general assembly |
24 | recognizes that some students, including, but not limited to, students who require developmental |
25 | education, may require an extended time period for degree completion. |
26 | (6) "Program" means the tuition waiver pilot program for children in Rhode Island foster |
27 | care established in this chapter. |
28 | (7) "Recipient student" means a student attending Rhode Island College who qualifies to |
29 | receive the tuition waiver pursuant to this chapter. |
30 | (8) "State" means the State of Rhode Island. |
31 | 42-72.13-3. Administration of scholarship program. |
32 | (a) Commencing with the 2025 school year and until the 2031 school year, the department |
33 | shall identify and notify from among youth in its legal custody, or who were in the department’s |
34 | legal custody for a period of time between the ages of fourteen (14) years and twenty-one (21) |
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1 | years, or participated in the voluntary extension of care, pursuant to § 14-1-6, between the ages of |
2 | eighteen (18) years and twenty-one (21) years, and those other youth and students identified in § |
3 | 42-72.13-4, as those students eligible for a tuition waiver through this chapter. |
4 | (b) Notice and confirmation of acceptance. The department shall notify and inform the |
5 | youth and the foster parent(s), if applicable, of the existence of the program and of the student’s |
6 | eligibility for a tuition waiver pursuant to this chapter. Such notice may be provided in writing, |
7 | virtually, by electronic mail, or by telephone. Provided, further, the department shall provide |
8 | information about the program on its website and any social media platforms utilized by the |
9 | department. The eligible student or foster parent shall acknowledge receipt of the program |
10 | information by requesting that the department contact the admissions office of Rhode Island Collee |
11 | in order to enroll the student in the program. The Rhode Island College admissions office, in |
12 | conjunction with the financial aid office, shall coordinate and take measures to ensure the tuition |
13 | waiver is correctly applied to the eligible student in foster care and notify the student of acceptance |
14 | and enrollment in the scholarship program. |
15 | (c) Tuition waiver -- Scope. A tuition waiver under this chapter may cover the cost of up |
16 | to four (4) years of mandatory fees and tuition for full-time attendance by the recipient student and |
17 | for the recipient student to complete general education coursework and be on track to graduate on |
18 | time and obtain a certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree; provided, Rhode Island |
19 | College may permit a recipient student to attend classes on a part-time basis, and the waiver shall |
20 | be in an amount up to what it would have cost the recipient student to attend Rhode Island College |
21 | as a full-time student until attainment of their first certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor’s |
22 | degree, while utilizing the waiver provided under this chapter. |
23 | (d) Allocation. The tuition waiver, subject to eligible student demand and available |
24 | funding, is limited to a maximum of twenty (20) students, but in no event shall the number be less |
25 | than ten (10) students for the period of the program. Individual students are eligible for one award |
26 | per year, for up to four (4) years, unless the student is attending on a part-time basis, in which case |
27 | the waiver shall be equal to the total cost it would take for a student attending Rhode Island College |
28 | to obtain a degree or a certificate if the recipient student was attending Rhode Island College on a |
29 | full-time basis. |
30 | 42-72.13-4. Eligibility -- Selection of scholarship recipients. |
31 | Persons eligible to participate in this program as recipient students are as follows: |
32 | (1) Children and youth who are currently or were in foster care for a six (6) months or more |
33 | between the ages of fourteen (14) years and twenty-one (21) years; |
34 | (2) Young adults who are eligible for or currently participating in the voluntary extension |
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1 | of care, pursuant to § 14-1-6; |
2 | (3) Youth who exited foster care between the ages of eighteen (18) years and twenty-one |
3 | (21) years, inclusive; |
4 | (4) Youth who left foster care at age fourteen (14) years or older for guardianship or |
5 | adoption, until they reach age of twenty-six (26) years. |
6 | (5) Youth who had been in foster care for six (6) months or more between the ages of |
7 | fourteen (14) years and twenty-one (21) years, or were participating in the voluntary extension of |
8 | care, pursuant to § 14-1-6, and left this status for some reason other than aging out of foster care, |
9 | kinship, guardianship or adoption; |
10 | (6) Children likely to remain in foster care until age eighteen (18) years; |
11 | (7) Youth in foster care who have graduated from high school or received the equivalent |
12 | of a high school diploma; and |
13 | (8) Youth in foster care who have not reached their twenty-sixth birthday. |
14 | 42-72.13-5. Appropriation. |
15 | (a) The general assembly shall appropriate, out of money in the treasury not otherwise |
16 | appropriated for the fiscal year 2024-2025, the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to |
17 | implement the provisions of this chapter. These monies are to be used exclusively to fund tuition |
18 | waiver awards to recipient students pursuant to this chapter. |
19 | (b) In addition to any appropriations from the general assembly pursuant to this chapter, |
20 | charitable donations and federal funds may be accepted to fund the program. |
21 | 42-72.13-6. Report. |
22 | The department, in consultation with Rhode Island College, shall provide an annual report |
23 | to the governor and the general assembly by November 1, 2025, and annually by November 1 |
24 | thereafter, that accounts for the expenditures made pursuant to this chapter, including the amounts |
25 | awarded to each recipient student, each awardee’s unmet need, the total number of waivers granted, |
26 | and the number of recipient students per academic year who made satisfactory progress towards |
27 | completing their higher education degree or certificate, and are on track to graduate on time, as |
28 | reported to the department by Rhode Island College. |
29 | 42-72.13-7. Rules and regulations. |
30 | The department, in consultation with Rhode Island College, may promulgate rules and |
31 | regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter. |
32 | 42-72.13-8. Sunset. |
33 | The provisions of this chapter shall sunset on July 1, 2031, at which time the pilot program |
34 | shall end. |
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1 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024. |
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LC005826 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- TUITION WAIVER PILOT | |
PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE | |
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1 | This act would establish the tuition waiver program for children in Rhode Island foster care |
2 | program. The purpose would be to increase the number of youths in foster care enrolling in and |
3 | obtaining degrees in a timely fashion from Rhode Island College. |
4 | This act would take effect on July 1, 2024. |
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LC005826 | |
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