SF 3353

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 06/01/2016 08:38am

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; expanding access to state financial aid programs for
students without lawful immigration status; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014,
section 136A.121, subdivisions 5, 9.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.121, subdivision 5, is amended to
read:

Subd. 5.

Grant stipends.

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 50 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 new text begin ,
unless the student is ineligible to receive a Pell grant under United States Code, title 20,
section 1091(a)(5) or (d) new text end .

The minimum financial stipend is $100 per academic year.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.121, subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Awards.

new text begin (a) new text end An undergraduate student who meets the office's requirements
is eligible to apply for and receive a grant in any year of undergraduate study unless the
student has obtained a baccalaureate degree or previously has been enrolled full time
or the equivalent for eight semesters or the equivalent, excluding courses taken from a
Minnesota school or postsecondary institution which is not participating in the state grant
program and from which a student transferred no credit. A student enrolled in a two-year
program at a four-year institution is only eligible for the tuition and fee maximums
established by law for two-year institutions.

new text begin (b) For a student who qualifies as a resident student under section 136A.101,
subdivision 8, clause (9), the commissioner must not count towards the eight semester
limit in paragraph (a) any semester in which the student was not eligible for an award
under this section due to the fact that the student did not have lawful immigration status.
new text end