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REFERENCE TITLE: tuition waivers; ABOR; community colleges |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
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HB 2913 |
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Introduced by Representatives Márquez: Gillette
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AN ACT
amending title 15, chapter 14, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-1809.02; relating to Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 14, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-1809.02, to read:
15-1809.02. Hazlewood Act tuition waiver scholarship; tuition scholarships; eligibility; policies; rules; definitions
A. The Hazlewood act tuition waiver scholarship program is established in the Arizona board of regents. The Arizona board of regents shall administer the program and award tuition waiver scholarships to any person who meets all of the following:
1. Enrolls in a university or community college.
2. Is one of the following:
(a) A veteran who meets both of the following:
(i) resides in this state or resides outside of this state solely due to the current military orders of the veteran or of the veteran's spouse.
(ii) Was discharged under honorable conditions after serving on active military duty, excluding initial entry training, for more than one hundred eighty days.
(b) an individual who is the spouse or child of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was killed in action, died while in service or is missing in action or whose death, according to documentation, was directly caused by an illness or injury related to service in the armed forces of the United States.
(c) an individual who is the spouse or child of a member of the Arizona National Guard or the Arizona Air National Guard who was killed after January 1, 1946 while on active duty in the service of this state or the United States.
(d) an individual who is the spouse or child of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Arizona National Guard or the Arizona Air National Guard who has a total and permanent disability or meets the eligibility requirements for individual unemployability according to the disability ratings for the United States department of veterans affairs.
3. Is entitled to classification as an in-state student under section 15-1802.
4. Complies with the standards of satisfactory academic progress as established by the university or community college in which the individual enrolls, except that the individual is not required to enroll in a minimum course load.
5. Has attempted fewer than one hundred fifty credit hours using tuition waiver scholarships pursuant to this section.
B. The Arizona board of regents shall:
1. Develop an application process and policies to administer the program and to verify eligibility for a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section. Policies developed pursuant to this paragraph must do all of the following:
(a) allow an individual who is eligible pursuant to subsection A of this section to submit to the Arizona board of regents a completed application and supporting documentation for a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section on or before the last day instruction is provided for each semester for which the individual seeks a tuition waiver scholarship.
(b) prescribe guidelines for determining the maximum number of credit hours for which an individual may be awarded a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section based on the degree or certificate program in which the individual is enrolled. Determinations pursuant to this subdivision shall be consistent with the length of the degree or certificate program according to the university's or community college's catalog or the regional accreditation commission, except that an individual may not receive a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section for more than one hundred fifty attempted credit hours.
(c) Prohibit an individual who is described in subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision (d) of this section from receiving a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section for an undergraduate degree program if, at the beginning of the semester, the individual has completed an excessive number of credit hours, unless the individual shows good cause. When determining whether the individual has completed an excessive number of credit hours, the Arizona Board of Regents shall:
(i) consider the number of credit hours completed by the individual and the number of credit hours required for the individual's degree or certificate program.
(ii) not consider credit hours earned by examination or credit hours that the individual earned while enrolled in high school.
(d) require each university and community college to report to the Arizona board of regents the number of credit hours for which each individual received a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section for each semester. If the individual used the tuition waiver scholarship to pay for only a portion of the credit hours that the individual completed during the semester, the university or community college shall report only the proportion that was funded by the tuition waiver scholarship. When reporting proportional hours to the Arizona Board of Regents pursuant to this subdivision, each university and community college shall round any fraction of a credit hour up to the nearest whole number.
(e) identify courses or programs that are not eligible for a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section, including:
(i) any course for which a university of community college does not receive funding from this state.
(ii) any course or program that has extraordinary costs, as determined by the Arizona board of regents or community college.
(f) Allow an individual who fails to comply with the standards of satisfactory academic progress as established by the university or community college in which the individual enrolls to remain eligible for a tuition waiver scholarship if the individual is experiencing hardship or shows good cause, including:
(i) that the individual is suffering from a severe illness or other debilitating condition that could affect the individual's academic performance.
(ii) that the individual is responsible for the care of a sick, injured or needy person and that the individual's provision of care could affect the individual's academic performance.
(iii) the individual's active duty or other service in the armed forces of the United States or the individual's active duty in the Arizona National Guard or Arizona Air National Guard.
(iv) any other cause considered acceptable by the Arizona board of regents.
2. Adopt rules governing the coordination of federal and state benefits for individuals who are eligible for a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to this section.
C. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Community college" means a community college as defined in section 15-1401.
2. "Program" means the Hazelwood act tuition waiver scholarship program established by this section.
3. "University" means a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.