HB0053 - Resident Assistance Tuition Act.

2001

State of Wyoming

01LSO-0008

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0053

Resident Assistance Tuition Act.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Huckfeldt and Hageman and
Senator(s) Boggs, Job and Roberts

A BILL

for

1 AN ACT relating to postsecondary education tuition
2 assistance; establishing a special recompensation account;
3 providing for an appropriation; and providing for an
4 effective date.

6 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

8 Section 1. W.S. 21-16-901 through 21-16-903 are
9 created to read:

11 ARTICLE 9

12 STUDENT TUITION ASSISTANCE

14 21-16-901. Definitions.

16 (a) As used in this article:

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2 (i) "Felony" means a criminal offense for which
3 the penalty authorized by law includes imprisonment in a
4 state penal institution for more than one (1) year.
5 "Felony" includes an offense committed in another
6 jurisdiction which, if committed in this state, would
7 constitute a felony as defined in this paragraph;

9 (ii) "Institution of higher education" means an
10 educational institution in Wyoming that:

12 (A) Admits as regular students only persons
13 having a certificate of graduation from a school providing
14 secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a
15 certificate;

17 (B) Is legally authorized within Wyoming to
18 provide a program of education beyond secondary education;

20 (C) Provides an educational program for
21 which the institution awards a bachelor's degree or
22 provides not less than a two (2) year program that is
23 acceptable for full credit toward such a degree or provides

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1 not less than a one (1) year program of training to prepare
2 students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation;

4 (D) Admits as regular students persons who
5 are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance;

7 (E) Is a public or other nonprofit
8 institution;

10 (F) Is accredited by a nationally
11 recognized accrediting agency or association. For purposes
12 of this article, those agencies recognized by the United
13 States secretary of education pursuant to title 20, chapter
14 28, section 1001 of the United States Code shall be
15 recognized accrediting agencies or associations.

17 21-16-902. Tuition assistance by state;
18 qualifications for tuition assistance.

20 (a) Upon application to an institution of higher
21 education as appropriate and upon compliance with this
22 article, a student is eligible for a scholarship in the
23 amount of all or part of the tuition at the institution of
24 higher education. Tuition shall be paid to the institution

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1 on behalf of a qualified student in the form of a
2 scholarship as provided by W.S. 21-16-903(b), subject to
3 subsections (b) and (c) of this section and the following:

5 (i) The qualifying student shall receive an
6 amount as determined by the legislature every biennium.
7 For the fiscal biennium commencing July 1, 2001, and ending
8 June 30, 2003, qualifying students shall receive an amount
9 equal to fifty-five dollars ($55.00) for each full year of
10 public school completed by the student in Wyoming,
11 including any years completed in a home-based educational
12 program as defined by W.S. 21-4-101(a)(iii) through (v).
13 This amount shall be payable to the institution on behalf
14 of the student each of any four (4) semesters during a
15 three (3) year period following admission to the
16 institution of higher education;

18 (ii) Any partial years spent attending public
19 school or a home-based educational program in Wyoming shall
20 not count in computing the total number of years a student
21 has completed in Wyoming;

23 (iii) No amount payable made in paragraph (i) of
24 this subsection for any one (1) semester shall exceed the

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1 tuition charged by the institution of higher education for
2 that semester.

4 (b) The student shall meet all of the following
5 qualifications:

7 (i) Actual residence in Wyoming during the sixty
8 (60) months immediately preceding enrollment at the
9 institution of higher education. For the purposes of this
10 paragraph, residency shall be demonstrated by proof of all
11 of the following:

13 (A) If licensed to drive a motor vehicle,
14 being in possession of a valid Wyoming driver's license;

16 (B) If owning a motor vehicle, being in
17 possession of a valid Wyoming registration for that
18 vehicle;

20 (C) If eligible to vote, being registered
21 in Wyoming.

23 (ii) Graduation from a Wyoming high school or
24 equivalent graduation from a home-based educational program

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1 which is sufficient for admission to the institution of
2 higher education. The student shall make application
3 within a four (4) year period following graduation from a
4 Wyoming public school or equivalent home-based educational
5 program;

7 (iii) The student shall not have been convicted
8 of a felony.

10 (c) To maintain continued state payment of tuition
11 under this article, once enrolled at an institution of
12 higher education, a student shall meet all of the following
13 requirements:

15 (i) The student shall make steady academic
16 progress toward a degree, earning not less than the minimum
17 number of hours of credit required for full-time standing
18 in each academic period requiring such enrollment;

20 (ii) Have a cumulative grade point average of at
21 least 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of the first
22 academic semester and thereafter maintain such a cumulative
23 grade point average as evaluated at the end of each
24 academic semester; and

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2 (iii) Have no criminal record, except for
3 misdemeanor traffic violations.

5 (d) The provisions of this article shall be
6 administered by the board of trustees of the University of
7 Wyoming and the Wyoming community college commission. The
8 board and the commission shall jointly provide by rule for
9 all matters necessary for the implementation of this
10 article including a mechanism for informing all students of
11 the availability of the assistance provided pursuant to
12 this article.

14 (e) Applications for the tuition assistance program
15 shall be available on a form prescribed by the University
16 of Wyoming board of trustees and the Wyoming community
17 college commission.

19 21-16-903. Establishment of a tuition assistance
20 account.

22 (a) A tuition assistance account is created to be
23 administered by the state treasurer's office.

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1 (b) An institution of higher education with students
2 receiving assistance pursuant to this article shall after
3 each semester submit vouchers to the state treasurer for
4 reimbursement of tuition costs incurred under this article.
5 The vouchers shall be paid from the account established in
6 subsection (a) of this section.

8 Section 2. There is appropriated from the general
9 fund to the state treasurer an amount necessary for
10 implementation of the tuition assistance account
11 established under W.S. 21-16-903. At each budget session,
12 the state treasurer shall make additional requests of all
13 funds necessary for reimbursement to institutions of higher
14 education.

16 Section 3. This act is effective immediately upon
17 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
18 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
19 Constitution.

21 (END)

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