Bill Text: MS SB2724 | 2024 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant Program; create to provide financial assistance to students.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-04-02 - Died In Committee [SB2724 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2024-SB2724-Engrossed.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Universities and Colleges; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) Boyd
Senate Bill 2724
(As Passed the Senate)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-29, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI RESIDENT TUITION ASSISTANCE GRANT AND PROMISE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN THE STATE; TO SET ELIGIBILITY AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS FOR RECEIPT OF ASSISTANCE UNDER THE PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT AS A CONDITION FOR RENEWAL, A STUDENT SHALL MAKE STEADY ACADEMIC PROGRESS TOWARD A CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE AND HAVE A CUMULATIVE G.P.A. OF AT LEAST 2.50 ON A 4.0 SCALE; TO PROVIDE THAT NO STUDENT MAY RECEIVE AN AWARD FOR MORE THAN THE EQUIVALENT SEMESTERS OR QUARTERS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE ONE BACCALAUREATE DEGREE OR ONE CERTIFICATE OR ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAM PER INSTITUTION; TO PROVIDE THAT PROMISE GRANTS SHALL EQUAL THE FULL AMOUNT REMAINING OF ANY TUITION AND REQUIRED FEES AFTER ALL OTHER STATE, FEDERAL, INSTITUTIONAL AND PRIVATE AID HAS BEEN APPLIED; TO PROVIDE THAT STUDENTS FROM FAMILIES MAKING BELOW 100% OF MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR IN MISSISSIPPI MAY RECEIVE MTAG AWARDS AND PROMISE GRANTS AT THE SAME TIME IF ELIGIBLE FOR BOTH; TO SET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM THE PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 37-106-29, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-106-29. (1) There is established the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant and Promise Program for college or university freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to be administered by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board established under Section 37-106-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, which shall set the dates and deadlines for applying for an award under this section. The board shall establish such rules and regulations as it deems necessary and proper to carry out the purposes and intent of this section. The program shall include Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) awards for any Mississippian seeking a postsecondary education. The program shall include Mississippi Promise Grants (Promise Grants) for recent high school graduates attending community colleges.
(2) To receive an MTAG award or a Promise Grant, a student must meet the following qualifications:
(a) Be a resident of the State of Mississippi. Resident status for the purpose of receiving assistance under this chapter shall be determined in the same manner as resident status for tuition purposes in Sections 37-103-1 through 37-103-29, with the exception of Section 37-103-17.
(b) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year for which the student wishes to be considered for aid by the deadline established by the board.
(c) Complete the Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) every year for which the student wished to be considered for aid by the deadline established by the board.
(d) Be accepted for enrollment at any state institution of higher learning or public community or junior college located in Mississippi, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university located in Mississippi and approved by the board.
(3) The board shall
approve * * * Mississippi Resident Tuition
Assistance Grants to * * * freshmen,
sophomore, junior and senior Mississippi residents who * * *
enroll at least half-time at any state institution of higher learning in
Mississippi or four-year regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit college
or university in Mississippi.
( * * *4) Mississippi Resident Tuition
Assistance Grants shall be * * * applied
to tuition, rooms and meals, books, materials and fees not to exceed the
student's total cost of attendance. Awards shall be scaled based on the
Adjusted Gross Income as determined by completion of the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
(5) For students from
families making at or above 100% of the median family income for a family of
four (4) in Mississippi, the award will not exceed One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) for junior and senior students attending state institutions of higher
learning in Mississippi or four-year regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit
colleges and universities in Mississippi, and Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00)
for freshmen and sophomores attending state institutions of higher learning or
public community or junior colleges in Mississippi, or regionally accredited,
state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year colleges in Mississippi, which
will be prorated per term, semester or quarter of the academic year for costs
of attendance * * *.
(6) For students from families making between Fifty-one Percent (51%) to Ninety-nine Percent (99%) of the median family income for a family of four (4) in Mississippi, the award shall not exceed One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for junior and senior students attending state institutions of higher learning in Mississippi or four-year regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit colleges and universities in Mississippi, and Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00) for freshmen and sophomores attending state institutions of higher learning or public community or junior colleges in Mississippi, or regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year colleges in Mississippi, which will be prorated per-term, semester or quarter of the academic year for costs of attendance.
(7) For students from families making at or below Fifty-percent (50%) of the median family income for a family of four (4) in Mississippi, the award shall not exceed Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) for junior and senior students attending state institutions of higher learning in Mississippi or four-year regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit colleges and universities in Mississippi, and One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for freshmen and sophomores attending state institutions of higher learning or public community or junior colleges in Mississippi, or regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year colleges in Mississippi, which will be prorated per-term, semester or quarter of the academic year for costs of attendance.
(8) Eligibility for renewal of Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grants shall be evaluated at the end of each semester, or term, of each academic year. As a condition for renewal, a student shall:
(a) Make steady academic progress toward a certificate or degree, as outlined in the school Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and certified by the institution's registrar; and
(b) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.50 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of each semester or trimester or term.
(9) No student may receive a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant for more than the equivalent semesters or quarters required to complete one (1) baccalaureate degree or one (1) certificate or associate degree program per institution.
( * * *10) The board shall approve
Mississippi Promise Grants for students who meet the following general requirements
for initial eligibility * * * of students for Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grants consist
of the following:
(a) * * *
Completion of a secondary education as follows:
(i) Graduation from high school verified by the institution before disbursement of award with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale after seven (7) semesters as certified by the high school counselor or other authorized school official on the application; or
(ii) Attendance at a home education program during grade levels 9 through 12; or
(iii) Satisfactory completion of the High School Equivalency Diploma; or
(iv) Successful completion of the International Baccalaureate Program.
( * * *b) * * *
Enroll full-time at any public community or junior college located in
Mississippi and approved by the board within twelve (12) months of completion
of secondary education program.
(11) Promise Grants shall equal the full amount remaining of any tuition and required fees after all other state, federal, institutional, and private aid has been applied.
(12) Eligibility for renewal of Promise Grants shall be evaluated at the end of each semester, or term, of each academic year. As a condition for renewal, a student shall:
(a) Make steady academic progress toward a certificate or degree, as outlined in the school Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and certified by the institution's registrar.
(b) Maintain continuous, full-time, enrollment for not less than two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters in each successive academic year, unless granted an exception for cause by the administering board; examples of cause may include student participation in a cooperative program, internship program or foreign study program. If a student fails to maintain continuous enrollment, and is not granted an exception for cause by the administering board, the student shall be ineligible to receive the Promise Grant during the following semester or trimester or term of the regular academic year.
(c) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.50 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of each semester or trimester or term.
(13) No student may receive a Promise Grant for more than four (4) semesters or the time required to complete one (1) associate degree program, whichever is less.
( * * *14) By accepting a Mississippi
Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant, the student is attesting
to the accuracy, completeness and correctness of information provided to
demonstrate the student's eligibility. Falsification of such information shall
result in the denial of any pending grant and revocation of any award currently
held to the extent that no further payments shall be made. Any student
knowingly making false statements in order to receive a grant shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor punishable, upon conviction thereof, by a fine of up to Ten
Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), a prison sentence of up to one (1) year in the
county jail, or both, and shall be required to return all Mississippi Resident
Tuition Assistance Grants wrongfully obtained.
* * *
( * * *15) Payment of the Mississippi
Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant shall be made payable to
the recipient and the educational institution and mailed directly to the
institution * * *.
( * * *16) In order for an institution to
remain eligible for its students to participate in the Mississippi Resident
Tuition Assistance or Promise Grant Program, the institution shall comply
with the following requirements:
(a) A complete and accurate roster of the eligibility status of each awarded student shall be made to the board for each term, semester or quarter of the academic year the student receives a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant.
(b) The institution is required to make refunds to the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant Fund for any funds which have not been disbursed to the recipient, in the case of students who have received a grant but who terminate enrollment during the academic term, semester or quarter of the academic year if an institution's refund policies permit a student to receive a refund in such instance. The recipient shall be responsible for the refund of any funds which have been disbursed by the institution in such instance.
(c) If a student drops below full-time status but does not terminate all enrollment during the term, semester or quarter of the academic year no refund will be required for that term. However, that student is ineligible to receive the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant during the following term, semester or quarter of the regular academic year.
(d) The board may conduct its own annual audits of any institution participating in the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise Grant Program. The board may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to receive future monies under the program if it finds that the institution has not complied with the provisions of this section. In determining a student's initial eligibility, the number of prior semesters enrolled will not be counted against the student.
* * *
( * * *17) No student receiving a
Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant as provided in Section 37-106-31 shall be
eligible to receive the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance and Promise
Grant pursuant to this section unless he is eligible for such award after the
Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant has been considered by the board when conducting
an assessment of the financial resources available to the student. In no case
shall any student receive any combination of student financial aid that would
exceed the cost of attendance * * *.
(18) For purposes of this section, certificated shall mean, but not be limited to, all postsecondary vocational programs in eligible institutions approved by the board.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2024.
