 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
law enforcement; families; tuition scholarships
Purpose
Establishes the Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund (Fund) and outlines requirements for an applicant to be eligible to receive a tuition scholarship from the Fund. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) to the Fund in FY 2024 for the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to administer monies in the Fund as prescribed.
Background
The Spouses of Military Veterans Tuition Scholarship Fund consists of
legislative appropriations administered by ABOR to award tuition scholarships
to any person that: 1) enrolls in a university under the jurisdiction of ABOR
or a community college as prescribed; 2) is the spouse of an honorably
discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and provides the required
documentation showing proof of an honorable discharge; 3) is entitled to
classification as an
in-state student; 4) is a resident of Arizona at the time of applying for a
tuition scholarship and continues to be a resident of Arizona while receiving a
tuition scholarship from the fund;
5) completes and submits the free application for federal student aid for each
year that the person receives a tuition scholarship; 6) complies with the
standards of satisfactory academic progress as established by the university or
community college in which the person enrolls; and 7) completes a Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 release form for each university or community
college in which the person is enrolled to authorize the release of personally
identifiable information required to determine continued tuition scholarship
eligibility (A.R.S.
§ 15-1809).
A tuition
scholarship from the Military Veterans Tuition Scholarship Fund must be:
1) limited to not more than four academic years, or eight semesters; 2) used
only for a certificate, associate degree or a baccalaureate degree; and 3) used
only to pay for tuition and mandatory fees at a university under the
jurisdiction of ABOR or a community college as prescribed. Tuition scholarships
are awarded on a first-come first-serve basis and are subject to available
monies in the fund (A.R.S.
§ 15-1809).
H.B. 2420 appropriates $10,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to the Spouses and Dependents of Law Enforcement Officers Tuition Scholarship Fund. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee fiscal note states that due to the first-come first-serve nature of the tuition scholarships, the FY 2024 costs should not exceed $10,000,000 (JLBC fiscal note).
Provisions
1. Establishes the Fund and appropriates $10,000,000 from the state GF to the Fund in FY 2024 and exempts legislative appropriations to the Fund from lapsing.
2. Requires ABOR to administer the Fund to award tuition scholarships to any person who:
a) enrolls in any of the following:
i. a university under the jurisdiction of ABOR;
ii. a community college;
iii. a career technical education program that is offered to adults or an associate degree program offered by a career technical education district; or
iv. a private postsecondary educational institution licensed as prescribed in Arizona; and
b) is either:
i. the spouse of a law enforcement officer; or
ii. under 27 years of age and a dependent of a law enforcement officer.
3. Requires ABOR to verify that a person satisfies the requirements as outlined before awarding a tuition scholarship from the Fund.
4. Allows a person who meets the requirements as outlined to apply to ABOR for a tuition scholarship from the Fund.
5. Requires ABOR, subject to available monies, to award an eligible applicant a tuition scholarship equal to the amount of tuition and mandatory fees charged by the university, community college or career technical education district in which the person is enrolled, minus any federal aid scholarships, public grants and other financial gifts, grants or aid received by the applicant.
6. Prohibits a person enrolled in a private postsecondary educational institution from receiving a tuition scholarship exceeding the remainder of the average in-state tuition and fees charged by universities under the jurisdiction of ABOR minus other gifts and aid awarded to the person.
7. Prohibits ABOR from awarding a subsequent tuition scholarship to a person who no longer satisfies the requirements until the person submits documentation showing that the person satisfies all requirements as prescribed.
8. Requires a tuition scholarship to be:
a) limited to not more than four academic calendar years, or eight semesters;
b) used only for a career technical education district program certificate or license, private vocational program, an associate or baccalaureate degree; and
c) used only to pay tuition and mandatory fees at a career technical education district, private postsecondary educational institution in Arizona licensed as prescribed, a university under the jurisdiction of ABOR or a community college.
9. Prohibits ABOR from awarding an applicant a tuition scholarship if the applicant does not attend a career technical educational district program.
10. Requires ABOR to award tuition scholarships on a first-come first-serve basis.
11. Prohibits ABOR from awarding an eligible applicant a tuition scholarship if there are insufficient monies in the Fund.
12. Allows ABOR to:
a) use a copy of the law enforcement officer's commission card and a current employment verification letter from the officer's employer to verify that an individual is a law enforcement officer in order to award a tuition scholarship; and
b) adopt rules for the purpose of administering the Fund.
13. Requires ABOR to submit a report by March 1, 2024, and each year thereafter to JLBC and the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting that includes:
a) the total number of students who received a tuition scholarship by eligible postsecondary institutions in the current academic year;
b) the total amounts of scholarships awarded and the average amounts awarded by eligible postsecondary institutions in the current academic year;
c) the total number of students who received a tuition scholarship and graduated or completed a program of study through an eligible postsecondary institution; and
d) each law enforcement agency that employs a law enforcement officer whose spouse or dependent, or both, receives a tuition scholarship.
14. Defines law enforcement officer as a person who is currently employed as either a peace officer, as defined under the tuition waiver scholarships eligibility statute, or a correctional officer.
15. Contains a legislative intent statement.
16. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
MAPS 1/30/23 DP 8-7-0-0
APPROP 2/20/23 DP 10-5-0-0
3rd Read 3/8/23 33-25-2
Prepared by Senate Research
March 20, 2023
ZD/KS/sr