as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 02:21am
A bill for an act
relating to higher education; modifying the state grant program; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.121, subdivisions 5, 6.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.121, subdivision 5, is amended to
read:
The grant stipend shall be based on a sharing of
responsibility for covering the recognized cost of attendance by the applicant, the
applicant's family, and the government. The amount of a financial stipend must not
exceed a grant applicant's recognized cost of attendance, as defined in subdivision 6, after
deducting the following:
(1) the assigned student responsibility of at least deleted text begin 46deleted text end new text begin ...new text end percent of the cost of
attending the institution of the applicant's choosing;
(2) the assigned family responsibility as defined in section 136A.101; and
(3) the amount of a federal Pell grant award for which the grant applicant is eligible.
The minimum financial stipend is $100 per academic year.
Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 136A.121, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
(a) The recognized cost of attendance consists of
allowances specified in law for living and miscellaneous expenses, and an allowance for
tuition and fees equal to the lesser of the average tuition and fees charged by the institution,
or the tuition and fee maximums deleted text begin established in lawdeleted text end .new text begin The tuition and fee maximum for a
student enrolled in a four-year program is the average amount of undergraduate tuition and
fees in the University of Minnesota system for the academic year of the grant. The tuition
and fees maximum for a student enrolled in a two-year program shall be set in law.
new text end
(b) For a student registering for less than full time, the office shall prorate the cost of
attendance to the actual number of credits for which the student is enrolled.
(c) The recognized cost of attendance for a student who is confined to a Minnesota
correctional institution shall consist of the tuition and fee component in paragraph (a),
with no allowance for living and miscellaneous expenses.
(d) For the purpose of this subdivision, "fees" include only those fees that are
mandatory and charged to full-time resident students attending the institution. Fees do
not include charges for tools, equipment, computers, or other similar materials where the
student retains ownership. Fees include charges for these materials if the institution retains
ownership. Fees do not include optional or punitive fees.