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REFERENCE TITLE: community college opportunity grants; appropriations |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session 2020
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SB 1463 |
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Introduced by Senators Navarrete: Alston, Bradley, Dalessandro, Gonzales, Mendez, Otondo, Peshlakai, Quezada, Rios, Steele
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AN ACT
AMENDING Title 15, chapter 12, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-1454; appropriating monies; relating to community college district governing boards.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 12, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-1454, to read:
15-1454. Community college opportunity grants; eligibility requirements; fund; definition
A. Beginning August 1, 2020, each community college district governing board shall administer community college opportunity grants for eligible students as prescribed in subsection C of this section. The grants shall be used to pay for tuition and approved educational fees for up to eighteen credit hours at any community college within the community college district for one year.
B. The community college opportunity grants shall be funded with monies distributed from the community college opportunity grant fund established by this section. If in any fiscal year monies in the community college opportunity grant fund are insufficient to pay tuition and approved educational fees for each eligible student for one year as prescribed in this section, the monies distributed from the fund in that fiscal year shall be prorated. The amount of a community college opportunity grant may not exceed the cost of tuition and approved educational fees for up to eighteen credit hours per semester at the community college of attendance for one year minus all other financial aid, which shall be credited first to the student's tuition and approved educational fees, including financial aid received from a federal Pell grant. An eligible student who is enrolled in fewer than twelve credit hours per semester may receive a maximum grant amount that is prorated from the full-time tuition grant amount based on the number of credit hours in which that student is enrolled.
C. To be eligible for a community college opportunity grant, a student must meet all of the following requirements:
1. Graduate from any of the public or private high school options in this state, pursuant to section 15‑802, or obtain a high school equivalency diploma in this state.
2. Complete a free application for federal student aid.
3. Enroll at a community college in this state for at least six credit hours.
4. Be either:
(a) A dependent student who reports on a free application for federal student aid a parental federal adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less.
(b) An independent student who reports on a free application for federal student aid a family adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less.
D. The community college opportunity grant fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The state treasurer shall administer the community college opportunity grant fund. Monies in the community college opportunity Grant fund are subject to legislative appropriation. The state treasurer shall distribute monies from the community college opportunity grant fund to community colleges in this state.
E. For the purposes of this section, "approved educational fees" means all of the following:
1. General fees.
2. Registration fees.
3. Facility fees.
4. Technology fees.
5. Lab fees or other program or course fees, including fees for coursework in nursing, culinary and other career and technical education programs.
Sec. 2. Appropriations; community college opportunity grant fund; fiscal years 2020-2021 through 2024-2025
A. The sum of $5,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in each of fiscal years 2020‑2021, 2021‑2022, 2022‑2023, 2023-2024 and 2024‑2025 to the community college opportunity grant fund established by section 15‑1454, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.
B. The sum of $5,000,000 is appropriated from the community college opportunity grant fund established by section 15-1454, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act, in each of fiscal years 2020-2021, 2021‑2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 for the purposes of this act.
Sec. 3. Retroactivity
This act applies retroactively to from and after July 31, 2020.