1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to higher education; establishing a merit 
  1.3             grant for advance placement and international 
  1.4             baccalaureate students; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             2000, sections 136A.121, by adding a subdivision; 
  1.6             136A.1211. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.121, is 
  1.9   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 18.  [ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL 
  1.11  BACCALAUREATE GRANT.] (a) Up to one percent of the 
  1.12  appropriations under this section may be used by the office for 
  1.13  grants to encourage Minnesota students participating in advanced 
  1.14  placement and international baccalaureate programs to attend a 
  1.15  college or university in Minnesota.  The grants must be awarded 
  1.16  to students who are enrolled in an eligible institution as 
  1.17  defined in paragraph (d).  An institution, on behalf of the 
  1.18  student, must request payment of the grant from the office.  The 
  1.19  grant may only be used for the costs of the actual tuition, 
  1.20  required fees, and books in nonsectarian courses or programs.  A 
  1.21  grant under this subdivision may be made for a maximum of four 
  1.22  years or until the student receives a baccalaureate degree.  
  1.23     (b) A grant must be awarded to a student scoring an average 
  1.24  of three or higher on three or more advanced placement 
  1.25  examinations on full-year courses or an average of four or 
  1.26  higher on three or more international baccalaureate examinations 
  2.1   on full-year courses.  The annual amount of each grant must be 
  2.2   based on the student's scores on the examinations, the 
  2.3   categories in paragraph (c), and the funds available under this 
  2.4   subdivision. 
  2.5      (c) The office, in consultation with representatives of the 
  2.6   advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs 
  2.7   selected by the advanced placement advisory council and IBMN, 
  2.8   must allocate the available funds fairly between the advanced 
  2.9   placement and international baccalaureate programs, using the 
  2.10  following categories to award grants: 
  2.11     (1) a student who is an advanced placement scholar, which 
  2.12  is a student who receives scores of three or higher on three or 
  2.13  more advanced placement examinations on full-year courses; 
  2.14     (2) a student who is an advanced placement scholar with 
  2.15  honor, which is a student who receives scores of 3.25 on all 
  2.16  advanced placement examinations the student takes and scores of 
  2.17  three or higher on four or more advanced placement examinations 
  2.18  on full-year courses; 
  2.19     (3) a student who is an advanced placement scholar with 
  2.20  distinction, which is a student who receives scores of 3.5 on 
  2.21  all advanced placement examinations the student takes and scores 
  2.22  of three or higher on five or more advanced placement 
  2.23  examinations on full-year courses; or 
  2.24     (4) a student who has earned an international baccalaureate 
  2.25  degree. 
  2.26     (d) An "eligible institution" under this subdivision is a 
  2.27  public or private four-year degree granting college or 
  2.28  university in Minnesota that has a credit and placement policy 
  2.29  for either advanced placement or international baccalaureate 
  2.30  scholarship recipients, or both.  Each eligible institution must 
  2.31  annually certify their policies to the office.  The office must 
  2.32  provide each Minnesota secondary school with a copy of the 
  2.33  post-secondary advanced placement and international 
  2.34  baccalaureate policies of eligible institutions. 
  2.35     (e) A grant under this subdivision must not affect a 
  2.36  recipient's eligibility for a state grant under this section. 
  3.1      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 136A.1211, is 
  3.2   amended to read: 
  3.3      136A.1211 [USE OF STATE GRANT SAVINGS.] 
  3.4      Savings in the state grant program resulting from an 
  3.5   increase in the maximum federal Pell grant from the anticipated 
  3.6   level of $3,125 shall be used by the office to increase the 
  3.7   living and miscellaneous expense allowance and to increase the 
  3.8   funds available for grants to advanced placement and 
  3.9   international baccalaureate students under section 136A.121, 
  3.10  subdivision 18.