SF 1293

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 02:19am

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; requiring higher education institutions to partner
with high schools to promote college attendance; establishing the Minnesota
promise for higher education and revising the achieve scholarship program;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 136A.121, by adding a subdivision;
136A.127, subdivisions 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, by adding a subdivision; 136A.87;
proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 136A; repealing
Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivisions 8, 13.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.121, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 20. new text end

new text begin Institutional partnership with high schools. new text end

new text begin An eligible institution in
Minnesota that admits a student who receives a grant under this section must develop
a partnership with at least two high schools that have a lower-than-average college
attendance rate to promote academic preparation and college attendance. The Minnesota
Office of Higher Education must maintain a current list of high schools in the state that
have lower-than-average college attendance rates and are eligible to be considered a
partner school under this provision. The activities under this subdivision must include
making available to students, at very low cost or no cost, a college readiness assessment
that meets recognized standards. Institutions must provide help to students and families in
completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and must include a
visit to a college campus in the activities.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [136A.123] MINNESOTA PROMISE.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Promise. new text end

new text begin To the extent of available appropriations, an eligible
student under section 136A.121 who has an income used to determine eligibility under
section 136A.121 that is less than 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, adjusted
for family size, may receive a grant under section 136A.121 sufficient to pay an amount
equal to the tuition and required fees at a public two-year community college or
consolidated community and technical college under section 136A.121, subdivision 6,
minus all other federal, state, private, or institutional gift aid. An eligible student may use
the amount under this section at any eligible institution.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Informational materials. new text end

new text begin The Minnesota Office of Higher Education
must prepare and distribute materials under section 136A.87 to promote the Minnesota
promise and the benefits of higher education for all students and particularly for students
from low-income families.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Definition; qualifying program.

For the purposes of this section, a
"qualifying program" means a rigorous secondary school program of study defined by
the Department of Education under agreement with the Secretary of Education for the
purposes of determining eligibility for the federal Academic Competitiveness Grant
Program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. new text begin If a qualifying
program includes a foreign language requirement, the foreign language requirement is
waived for a student whose first language is not English and who attains English language
proficiency.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Student eligibility.

To be eligible to receive a scholarship under this
section, in addition to the requirements listed under section 136A.121, a student must:

(1) submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);

(2) deleted text begin take and receive at least a grade of C for courses that comprise a rigorous
secondary school deleted text end new text begin complete a qualifying new text end program deleted text begin of study deleted text end in a high school or in a
home-school setting under section 120A.22, deleted text begin and deleted text end graduate from a Minnesota high school new text begin ,
and graduate with an unweighted 2.5 grade point average or higher new text end ;

(3) have a family adjusted gross income of less than deleted text begin $75,000 deleted text end new text begin 185 percent of the
federal poverty guidelines, adjusted for family size as reported in the federal need analysis new text end
in the deleted text begin last complete calendar year prior to the deleted text end academic year of postsecondary attendance
in which the scholarship new text begin awarded new text end is new text begin first new text end used new text begin . The Office of Higher Education or the
postsecondary institution may request documentation to confirm income eligibility new text end ;

(4) be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen, as defined in section 484 of the
Higher Education Act, United States Code, title 20, sections 1091 et seq., as amended,
and Code of Federal Regulations, title 34, section 668.33;

(5) be a Minnesota resident, as defined in section 136A.101, subdivision 8; deleted text begin and deleted text end

(6) deleted text begin be enrolled for at least three credits per quarter or semester or the equivalent
deleted text end new text begin enroll full-time in the fall term immediately following high school graduation new text end at an
eligible institution as defined under section 136A.101, subdivision 4 new text begin ; and new text end

new text begin (7) enroll in a degree, diploma, or certificate program at an eligible institution new text end .

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Scholarship awards.

deleted text begin A student may not receive more than $1,200 in
Minnesota achieve scholarships, which must be for enrollment during the four-year
availability period described in subdivision 12. deleted text end new text begin The maximum amount of the scholarship
is the amount remaining after deducting from the total amount of qualifying expenses
under subdivision 10 all amounts of federal, state, private, and institutional grants and gift
aid from any source and the amount under subdivision 10a. new text end The deleted text begin scholarships deleted text end new text begin scholarship new text end
may be used to pay for qualifying expenses at eligible institutions.

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 10, is amended to read:

Subd. 10.

Qualifying expenses.

Qualifying expenses are components included
under the cost of attendance used for federal student financial aid programs, as defined
in deleted text begin section 472 of the Higher Education Act, deleted text end United States Code, title 20, sections deleted text begin 1091 deleted text end new text begin
1087ll new text end et seq., as amended. new text begin The maximum qualifying expenses under this subdivision
is the average total qualifying expenses at the four-year institutions of the Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities.
new text end

Sec. 7.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 10a. new text end

new text begin Student investment. new text end

new text begin A student investment is required. The amount
of the investment is equal to the average amount a student would earn working in an
on-campus work study position for ten hours per week during a semester. The office must
determine an amount under this subdivision, using available data about earnings, prior
to determining the amount awarded under subdivision 9.
new text end

Sec. 8.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 12, is amended to read:

Subd. 12.

Availability of scholarship funds.

deleted text begin A scholarship earned by a student
is available for four years immediately following high school graduation. The office
must certify to the commissioner of finance by October 1 of each year the amounts to be
canceled from scholarship eligibility that have expired. deleted text end new text begin Once a student has been awarded a
scholarship under this section, the scholarship may be renewed for up to four consecutive
award years of continuous enrollment in a degree, diploma, or certificate program at an
eligible institution. The student must make satisfactory academic progress and have at
least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale for the first and subsequent award
years of study to continue receiving a scholarship. new text end

Sec. 9.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivision 14, is amended to read:

Subd. 14.

Evaluation report.

By January 15 of each deleted text begin odd-numbered deleted text end year, the
Office of Higher Education shall submit a report, to the committees of the legislature with
jurisdiction over higher education finance and policy, regarding the deleted text begin success of the deleted text end program deleted text begin
in increasing the enrollment of students in rigorous high school courses deleted text end , including, at a
minimum, the following information:

(1) the demographics of individuals participating in the program;

deleted text begin (2) the grades scholarship recipients received for courses in the qualifying program
under subdivision 2; deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) deleted text end new text begin (2) new text end the number of scholarship recipients who persisted at a postsecondary
institution for a second year;

deleted text begin (4) deleted text end new text begin (3) new text end the high schools attended by the program participants;

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (4) new text end the postsecondary institutions attended by the program participants;

deleted text begin (6) deleted text end new text begin (5) new text end the academic performance of the students after enrolling in a postsecondary
institution; and

deleted text begin (7) deleted text end new text begin (6) new text end other information as deleted text begin identified deleted text end new text begin determined new text end by the director.

Sec. 10.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.87, is amended to read:

136A.87 PLANNING INFORMATION.

The office shall make available to all residents deleted text begin from 8th deleted text end new text begin beginning in 7th new text end grade
through adulthood information about planning and preparing for postsecondary
opportunities. Information must be provided to all deleted text begin 8th deleted text end new text begin 7th new text end grade students and their parents
new text begin annually new text end by deleted text begin January 1 of each year deleted text end new text begin September 30 new text end about deleted text begin the need to plan deleted text end new text begin planning new text end for
their postsecondary education. The office may also provide information to high school
students and their parents, to adults, and to out-of-school youth. The information provided
may include the following:

(1) the need to start planning early;

(2) the availability of assistance in educational planning from educational institutions
and other organizations;

(3) suggestions for studying effectively during high school;

(4) high school courses necessary to be adequately prepared for postsecondary
education;

(5) encouragement to involve parents actively in planning for all phases of education;

(6) information about deleted text begin post-high school deleted text end new text begin postsecondary new text end education and training
opportunities existing in the state, their respective missions and expectations for students,
their preparation requirements, admission requirements, and student placement;

(7) ways to evaluate and select postsecondary institutions;

(8) the process of transferring credits among Minnesota postsecondary institutions
and systems;

(9) the costs of postsecondary education and the availability of financial assistance
in meeting these costs new text begin , including specific information about the Minnesota promise and
achieve scholarship program new text end ;

(10) the interrelationship of assistance from student financial aid, public assistance,
and job training programs; and

(11) financial planning for new text begin postsecondary new text end education deleted text begin beyond high school deleted text end .

Sec. 11. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.127, subdivisions 8 and 13, new text end new text begin are repealed.
new text end