HF 973

as introduced - 82nd Legislature (2001 - 2002) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to higher education; modifying eligibility 
  1.3             requirements for state educational financial aid; 
  1.4             increasing child care grant award; classifying certain 
  1.5             Edvest data; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, 
  1.6             sections 124D.95, subdivisions 2 and 4; 136A.121, 
  1.7             subdivisions 6 and 9; 136A.125, subdivisions 2, 3, and 
  1.8             4; 136A.243, by adding a subdivision; 136A.244, by 
  1.9             adding a subdivision; and 299A.45, subdivisions 1 and 
  1.10            4. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 124D.95, 
  1.13  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBLE STUDENT.] To be eligible for a 
  1.15  scholarship, a student shall: 
  1.16     (1) be a United States citizen or permanent resident of the 
  1.17  United States; 
  1.18     (2) be a resident of Minnesota; 
  1.19     (3) attend an eligible program; 
  1.20     (4) have completed at least one year of secondary school 
  1.21  but not have graduated from high school; 
  1.22     (5) have earned at least a B average or its equivalent 
  1.23  during the semester or quarter prior to application, or have 
  1.24  earned at least a B average or its equivalent during the 
  1.25  semester or quarter prior to application in the academic subject 
  1.26  area applicable to the summer program the student wishes to 
  1.27  attend; 
  1.28     (6) demonstrate need for financial assistance; and 
  2.1      (7) be 19 years of age or younger. 
  2.2      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 124D.95, 
  2.3   subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  2.4      Subd. 4.  [ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.] A scholarship may be 
  2.5   used only at an eligible institution.  An eligible institution 
  2.6   is:  
  2.7      (a) A Minnesota public post-secondary institution is an 
  2.8   eligible institution.; 
  2.9      (b) A private post-secondary institution is eligible if it 
  2.10  that: 
  2.11     (1) is accredited by the North Central Association of 
  2.12  Colleges; 
  2.13     (2) offers an associate or baccalaureate degree program 
  2.14  approved under section 136A.65, subdivision 1; and 
  2.15     (3) is located in Minnesota; or 
  2.16     (c) A summer camp that: 
  2.17     (1) offers academic enrichment activities to students in 
  2.18  grades four through six; and 
  2.19     (2) is located in Minnesota. 
  2.20     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.121, 
  2.21  subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  2.22     Subd. 6.  [COST OF ATTENDANCE.] (a) The recognized cost of 
  2.23  attendance consists of allowances specified in law for room and 
  2.24  board living and miscellaneous expenses, and 
  2.25     (1) for public institutions, tuition and fees charged by 
  2.26  the institution; or 
  2.27     (2) for private institutions, an allowance for tuition and 
  2.28  fees equal to the lesser of the actual tuition and fees charged 
  2.29  by the institution, or the private institution tuition and fee 
  2.30  maximums established in law. 
  2.31     (b) For the purpose of paragraph (a), clause (2), the 
  2.32  private institution tuition and fee maximum for two- and 
  2.33  four-year, private, residential, liberal arts, degree-granting 
  2.34  colleges and universities must be the same. 
  2.35     (c) For a student attending registering for less than full 
  2.36  time 15 credits (or equivalent), the office shall prorate 
  3.1   the recognized cost of attendance living and miscellaneous 
  3.2   expense allowance to the actual number of credits for which the 
  3.3   student is enrolled. 
  3.4      The recognized cost of attendance for a student who is 
  3.5   confined to a Minnesota correctional institution shall consist 
  3.6   of the tuition and fee component in paragraph (a), clause (1) or 
  3.7   (2), with no allowance for living and miscellaneous expenses. 
  3.8      Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.121, 
  3.9   subdivision 9, is amended to read: 
  3.10     Subd. 9.  [AWARDS.] An undergraduate student who meets the 
  3.11  office's requirements is eligible to apply for and receive a 
  3.12  grant in any year of undergraduate study unless the student has 
  3.13  obtained a baccalaureate degree or previously has been enrolled 
  3.14  full time or the equivalent for eight semesters or 12 quarters, 
  3.15  excluding courses taken from a Minnesota school or 
  3.16  post-secondary institution which is not participating in the 
  3.17  state grant program and from which a student transferred no 
  3.18  credit. 
  3.19     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.125, 
  3.20  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.21     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.] An applicant is eligible for 
  3.22  a child care grant if the applicant: 
  3.23     (1) is a resident of the state of Minnesota; 
  3.24     (2) has a child 12 years of age or younger, or 14 years of 
  3.25  age or younger who is handicapped as defined in section 125A.02, 
  3.26  and who is receiving or will receive care on a regular basis 
  3.27  from a licensed or legal, nonlicensed caregiver; 
  3.28     (3) is income eligible as determined by the office's 
  3.29  policies and rules, but is not a recipient of assistance from 
  3.30  the Minnesota family investment program; 
  3.31     (4) has not earned a baccalaureate degree and has been 
  3.32  enrolled full time less than eight semesters, 12 quarters, or 
  3.33  the equivalent; 
  3.34     (5) is pursuing a nonsectarian program or course of study 
  3.35  that applies to an undergraduate degree, diploma, or 
  3.36  certificate; 
  4.1      (6) is enrolled at least half time in an eligible 
  4.2   institution; and 
  4.3      (7) is in good academic standing and making satisfactory 
  4.4   academic progress. 
  4.5      Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.125, 
  4.6   subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  4.7      Subd. 3.  [ELIGIBLE POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTION.] A 
  4.8   Minnesota public post-secondary institution, a Minnesota 
  4.9   private, baccalaureate degree granting college or university, or 
  4.10  a Minnesota nonprofit two-year vocational technical school 
  4.11  granting associate degrees is eligible to receive child care 
  4.12  funds from the office and disburse them to eligible 
  4.13  students "Eligible post-secondary institution" means a 
  4.14  post-secondary institution eligible for participation in the 
  4.15  Minnesota state grant program under section 136A.101, 
  4.16  subdivision 4. 
  4.17     Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.125, 
  4.18  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  4.19     Subd. 4.  [AMOUNT AND LENGTH OF GRANTS.] The amount of a 
  4.20  child care grant must be based on: 
  4.21     (1) the income of the applicant and the applicant's spouse, 
  4.22  if any; 
  4.23     (2) the number in the applicant's family, as defined by the 
  4.24  office; and 
  4.25     (3) the number of eligible children in the applicant's 
  4.26  family.  
  4.27     The maximum award to the applicant shall be $2,000 $2,500 
  4.28  for each eligible child per academic year, except that the 
  4.29  campus financial aid officer may apply to the office for 
  4.30  approval to increase grants by up to ten percent to compensate 
  4.31  for higher market charges for infant care in a community.  The 
  4.32  office shall develop policies to determine community market 
  4.33  costs and review institutional requests for compensatory grant 
  4.34  increases to ensure need and equal treatment.  The office shall 
  4.35  prepare a chart to show the amount of a grant that will be 
  4.36  awarded per child based on the factors in this subdivision.  The 
  5.1   chart shall include a range of income and family size. 
  5.2      Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.243, is 
  5.3   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  5.4      Subd. 10.  [DATA ON PARTICIPANTS AND BENEFICIARIES.] Data 
  5.5   on participants and beneficiaries of the program are private 
  5.6   data on individuals, as defined in section 13.02, except that 
  5.7   the name and address of a beneficiary of an account to which a 
  5.8   state matching grant has been added under section 136A.245 
  5.9   becomes public data when a qualified distribution is made from 
  5.10  the matching grant account. 
  5.11     Sec. 9.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.244, is 
  5.12  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  5.13     Subd. 5.  [TRUST.] Assets in the program are held in trust 
  5.14  for the exclusive benefit of account holders and beneficiaries. 
  5.15     Sec. 10.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 299A.45, 
  5.16  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  5.17     Subdivision 1.  [ELIGIBILITY.] Following certification 
  5.18  under section 299A.44 and compliance with this section and rules 
  5.19  of the commissioner of public safety and the higher education 
  5.20  services office, dependent children less than 23 years of age 
  5.21  and the surviving spouse of a public safety officer killed in 
  5.22  the line of duty on or after January 1, 1973, are eligible to 
  5.23  receive educational benefits under this section.  To qualify for 
  5.24  an award, they must be enrolled in undergraduate degree or 
  5.25  certificate programs after June 30, 1990, at an eligible 
  5.26  Minnesota institution as provided in section 136A.101, 
  5.27  subdivision 4.  Persons who have received a baccalaureate degree 
  5.28  or have been enrolled full time or the equivalent of eight 
  5.29  semesters or 12 quarters, whichever occurs first, are no longer 
  5.30  eligible. 
  5.31     Sec. 11.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 299A.45, 
  5.32  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  5.33     Subd. 4.  [RENEWAL.] Each award must be given for one 
  5.34  academic year and is renewable for a maximum of six semesters or 
  5.35  nine quarters or their equivalent until the student has received 
  5.36  a baccalaureate degree.  An award must not be given to a 
  6.1   dependent child who is 23 years of age or older on the first day 
  6.2   of the academic year. 
  6.3      Sec. 12.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  6.4      (a) Section 2 is effective July 1, 2002. 
  6.5      (b) Sections 8 and 9 are effective the day following final 
  6.6   enactment.