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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, WILLIAMS, BROWNE, FERLO, COSTA, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, STACK, SOLOBAY, BREWSTER, WASHINGTON, FARNESE, WOZNIAK AND RAFFERTY, MARCH 2, 2011 |
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| REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 2, 2011 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Providing for academic excellence scholarships for persons |
2 | entering a college or university within this Commonwealth and |
3 | for powers and duties of the Pennsylvania Higher Education |
4 | Assistance Agency. |
5 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
6 | hereby enacts as follows: |
7 | Section 1. Short title. |
8 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Academic |
9 | Excellence Scholarship Program Act. |
10 | Section 2. Definitions. |
11 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
12 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
13 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
14 | "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance |
15 | Agency. |
16 | "Approved educational institution." A postsecondary |
17 | educational institution located in this Commonwealth that is |
18 | authorized to provide approved courses of study and grant |
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1 | degrees, and has been approved by the Pennsylvania Higher |
2 | Education Assistance Agency as an institution in which students |
3 | may enroll to participate in the Academic Excellence Scholarship |
4 | Program. |
5 | "Program." The Academic Excellence Scholarship Program |
6 | established by this act. |
7 | "Student." An individual domiciled in this Commonwealth who |
8 | attends or is about to attend a secondary school or |
9 | postsecondary educational institution located in this |
10 | Commonwealth and whose annual family income does not exceed |
11 | $250,000. |
12 | "Work requirement." Postgraduate, full-time employment with |
13 | an employer located in this Commonwealth. The term does not |
14 | include a paid student internship, a paid fellowship, volunteer |
15 | service or employment before graduation. |
16 | Section 3. Academic Excellence Scholarship Program. |
17 | There is hereby established the Academic Excellence |
18 | Scholarship Program within the agency to reward academic |
19 | excellence and provide an incentive for Pennsylvania students to |
20 | pursue higher education and professional opportunities within |
21 | this Commonwealth. |
22 | Section 4. Scholarship grants. |
23 | (a) Issuance.--The agency may provide scholarship grants |
24 | annually to eligible students who are residents of this |
25 | Commonwealth. A scholarship grant may be issued to a student |
26 | only upon confirmation from an approved educational institution |
27 | that the student has enrolled full time no later than the fall |
28 | semester immediately following high school graduation. |
29 | (b) Amount.--Scholarship grants shall be for the amount set |
30 | forth in section 5(a) and may only be used for tuition and |
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1 | mandatory fees. |
2 | (c) Award.--A scholarship program grant shall be awarded |
3 | solely on the basis of merit. |
4 | (d) Eligibility.--To receive a scholarship grant under this |
5 | act, a student must meet all of the following requirements: |
6 | (1) Maintenance of Pennsylvania domicile during the term |
7 | of the scholarship grant. |
8 | (2) Graduation within the top 5% of students from a high |
9 | school in this Commonwealth. The student must have attended a |
10 | public or private high school within this Commonwealth during |
11 | the junior and senior years. |
12 | (3) High school cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or |
13 | higher, on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent. |
14 | (4) A score of no less than 2130 on the SAT or an ACT |
15 | score of no less than 32. |
16 | (5) Maintenance of a grade point average of 3.0 or |
17 | higher, on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent. |
18 | (6) Entrance into a written agreement with the agency |
19 | to: |
20 | (i) Satisfy all degree requirements for graduation. |
21 | (ii) Commence employment in this Commonwealth within |
22 | one year after completion of an undergraduate degree for |
23 | a period of one year for each academic year the student |
24 | received a scholarship grant under this act unless the |
25 | agency determines that there are extenuating |
26 | circumstances. |
27 | (iii) Reimburse the Commonwealth all amounts |
28 | received under this act and interest thereon, as |
29 | determined by the agency, if the student fails to comply |
30 | with subparagraph (i) or (ii). |
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1 | (e) Application.--A student shall apply to the agency for a |
2 | scholarship grant as prescribed by the agency and provide all |
3 | information and documentation required by the agency. The |
4 | application of a student under 18 years of age shall include the |
5 | signature of a parent or guardian. The application shall include |
6 | a verified statement of grade point average from the appropriate |
7 | educational institution. |
8 | (f) Work requirement.--The work requirement under subsection |
9 | (d)(6)(ii) shall begin after receipt of a bachelor's degree from |
10 | an approved educational institution. |
11 | (g) Termination.--If a student who has received a |
12 | scholarship grant terminates enrollment in the approved |
13 | educational institution during the academic year or prior to |
14 | completion, the approved education institution shall notify the |
15 | agency in writing and shall return all unused portions of the |
16 | scholarship grant. Returned amounts shall be used to fund other |
17 | scholarship grants under this act. |
18 | (h) Transfer.--A scholarship grant may only be |
19 | transferrable to another approved educational institution if |
20 | approved by the agency. |
21 | (i) Limitation.--A scholarship grant shall be paid from |
22 | funds appropriated for that purpose. First priority for awarding |
23 | scholarship grants shall be given to renewal applicants. |
24 | Thereafter, the scholarship grants shall be awarded on a first- |
25 | come-first-served basis. |
26 | (j) Exception.--The agency shall postpone the work |
27 | requirement under subsection (f) for extenuating circumstances |
28 | or because of the student's enrollment on a full-time basis in a |
29 | graduate degree program within one year of the receipt of a |
30 | bachelor's degree from an approved educational institution. The |
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1 | agency shall require documentation of the person's continual |
2 | status as a full-time student as defined by the agency. The work |
3 | requirement under subsection (d)(6)(ii) shall begin within one |
4 | year after termination of enrollment on a full-time basis in a |
5 | graduate degree program. |
6 | Section 5. Academic Excellence Scholarships. |
7 | (a) Amount of scholarship grants.--The agency shall issue |
8 | scholarship grants under the program, which grants may be |
9 | referred to as Academic Excellence Scholarships, in the amount |
10 | of $5,000 per academic year to a student enrolled full time in |
11 | an approved educational institution pursuing a bachelor's |
12 | degree. The student must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 |
13 | semester hours each semester or its equivalent. |
14 | (b) Term of grant.--The scholarship grant shall be for a |
15 | maximum of four academic years. |
16 | (c) Exception.--If the student fails to meet the cumulative |
17 | grade point average requirements during a semester and is denied |
18 | a scholarship grant, the student may reapply the following year |
19 | for a scholarship grant, but must continue at the student's |
20 | expense for the next year. If the student earns a cumulative |
21 | grade point average of 3.0 or higher at the end of that year, |
22 | the student may reapply for the remaining years. If the student |
23 | does not obtain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or |
24 | higher within the year following dismissal from the program, the |
25 | student may not reapply. |
26 | Section 6. Administration. |
27 | (a) Verification.--The agency shall monitor and verify a |
28 | student's fulfillment of all the work requirements under this |
29 | act. |
30 | (b) Enforcement.--The agency shall enforce repayment of all |
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1 | scholarship grants for a student who does not comply with the |
2 | provisions of this act, including use of all lawful collection |
3 | procedures and the use of private collection agencies. |
4 | (c) Exclusion from taxation.--A scholarship grant received |
5 | by a student shall not be considered taxable income for purposes |
6 | of Article III of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known |
7 | as the Tax Reform Code of 1971. |
8 | (d) Financial assistance.--A scholarship grant received by a |
9 | student shall be considered financial assistance or an |
10 | appropriation to the approved education institution. |
11 | (e) Appeals.--The provisions of this act shall be subject to |
12 | 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 5 Subch. A (relating to practice and procedure of |
13 | Commonwealth agencies). |
14 | (f) Regulations.--The agency shall adopt regulations and |
15 | procedures necessary to carry out the purposes of this act. |
16 | Section 7. Annual report. |
17 | (a) Development of report.--The agency shall publish a |
18 | report each year containing information regarding the operation |
19 | of the scholarship program. The initial report shall be |
20 | submitted by September 1 in the year following the first full |
21 | academic year in which scholarship grants have been awarded, and |
22 | by September 1 of each year thereafter. The report shall |
23 | include: |
24 | (1) Total number of students receiving scholarship |
25 | grants, with a breakdown of whether the scholarship is an |
26 | initial scholarship grant or a renewal of a scholarship |
27 | grant. |
28 | (2) Total number of students who withdraw from the |
29 | program or work requirements. |
30 | (b) Submission.--The annual report shall be submitted to the |
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1 | Governor and the chairman and minority chairman of the |
2 | Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the chairman and |
3 | minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House |
4 | of Representatives, the chairman and minority chairman of the |
5 | Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority |
6 | chairman of the Education Committee of the House of |
7 | Representatives. |
8 | Section 20. Effective date. |
9 | This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |
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