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| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1051 | PRINTER'S NO. 1236 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA AND DINNIMAN, MAY 27, 2009 |
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| SENATOR PICCOLA, EDUCATION, AS AMENDED, JUNE 30, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Providing for tuition controls on Commonwealth colleges and | <-- |
2 | universities and for duties of the Pennsylvania Higher |
3 | Education Assistance Agency; and making a related repeal. |
4 | Providing for the establishment of the Tuition Control Study | <-- |
5 | Commission to study tuition controls on Commonwealth colleges |
6 | and universities; and requiring the commission to issue a |
7 | report of its findings to the General Assembly. |
8 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
9 | hereby enacts as follows: |
10 | Section 1. Short title. | <-- |
11 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Affordability |
12 | and Accountability in Higher Education Act. |
13 | Section 2. Definitions. |
14 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
15 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
16 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
17 | "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance |
18 | Agency. |
19 | Section 3. Limitations. |
20 | (a) Tuition.--Any increase in the tuition of a college or |
21 | university that receives a State appropriation may not be |
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1 | greater than the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index |
2 | published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of |
3 | Labor Statistics, in July of the year in which the appropriation |
4 | is received. If a college or university fails to comply with |
5 | this subsection, any moneys appropriated by the General Assembly |
6 | to the college or university are subject to recovery by the |
7 | Commonwealth and shall be repaid by the college or university to |
8 | the State Treasurer. |
9 | (b) Dual enrollment.--A college or university that receives |
10 | a State appropriation or an assistance grant under the act of |
11 | July 18, 1974 (P.L.483, No.174), known as The Institutional |
12 | Assistance Grants Act, must permit eligible high school students |
13 | to participate in a program of dual enrollment on a |
14 | space-available basis in accordance with regulations promulgated |
15 | by the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education |
16 | shall promulgate regulations under this subsection within six |
17 | months of the effective date of this section. |
18 | (c) Independent colleges and universities.–-Any increase in |
19 | tuition of a student who receives a grant from the agency and |
20 | attends an independent college or university that receives an |
21 | assistance grant under The Institutional Assistance Grants Act |
22 | may not be greater than the percentage increase in the Consumer |
23 | Price Index published by the United States Department of Labor, |
24 | Bureau of Labor Statistics, in July of the year in which the |
25 | college or university received the assistance grant. If a |
26 | college or university fails to comply with this subsection: |
27 | (1) The college or university shall be denied status as |
28 | an eligible institution under The Institutional Assistance |
29 | Grants Act. |
30 | (2) Students attending the college or university are |
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1 | ineligible to receive an agency grant. |
2 | Section 4. Agency duties. |
3 | The agency shall promulgate regulations that: |
4 | (1) Ensure that each Commonwealth recipient of an agency |
5 | grant maintains a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or |
6 | higher, on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent, as certified by |
7 | the college or university in which the student is enrolled, |
8 | to continue to be eligible for an agency grant. |
9 | (2) Provide that a recipient of an agency grant may |
10 | receive a grant for no more than eight consecutive semesters |
11 | of undergraduate coursework. |
12 | Section 5. Repeals. |
13 | (a) Intent.--The General Assembly declares that the repeal |
14 | under subsection (b) is necessary to effectuate the provisions |
15 | of this act. |
16 | (b) Provision.--Article XVI-B of the act of March 10, 1949 |
17 | (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is |
18 | repealed. |
19 | Section 6. Effective date. |
20 | This act shall take effect immediately. |
21 | Section 1. Short title. | <-- |
22 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Tuition |
23 | Control Study Commission Act. |
24 | Section 2. Definitions. |
25 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
26 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
27 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
28 | "Commission." The Tuition Control Study Commission |
29 | established in section 3. |
30 | Section 3. Tuition Control Study Commission. |
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1 | (a) Establishment.--The Tuition Control Study Commission is |
2 | established as an independent commission to examine the costs of |
3 | college education for students in all sectors of higher |
4 | education in this Commonwealth and to determine means by which |
5 | the Commonwealth may authorize controls on annual tuition |
6 | increases. |
7 | (b) Members.--The commission shall consist of the following |
8 | members: |
9 | (1) The chairman and minority chairman of the Education |
10 | Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority |
11 | chairman of the Education Committee of the House of |
12 | Representatives. |
13 | (2) The Secretary of Education. |
14 | (3) The Chairman of the State Board of Education. |
15 | (4) The chief executive of the Pennsylvania Higher |
16 | Education Assistance Agency. |
17 | (5) Four appointments by the Chairman of the State Board |
18 | of Education, one each for the four sectors of higher |
19 | education representing the State System of Higher Education, |
20 | State-related universities, community colleges and |
21 | independent colleges and universities. |
22 | (6) Two current students of a college or university in |
23 | this Commonwealth appointed by the Governor. |
24 | (c) Appointment.--Members of the commission shall be |
25 | appointed within 30 days of the effective date of this act. Any |
26 | vacancy on the commission shall be filled by the original |
27 | appointing officer or agency. |
28 | (d) Chair.--The Chairman of the State Board of Education |
29 | shall serve as the chair of the commission. The first meeting of |
30 | the commission shall be convened no later than 60 days after the |
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1 | effective date of this act. |
2 | (e) Meetings.--The commission shall hold meetings at the |
3 | call of the chair. The commission may also hold public hearings |
4 | on the matters to be considered by the commission at locations |
5 | throughout this Commonwealth. All meetings and public hearings |
6 | of the commission shall be deemed public meetings for the |
7 | purposes of 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to open meetings). |
8 | (f) Quorum.--Seven members of the commission shall |
9 | constitute a quorum at any meeting. Each member of the |
10 | commission may designate another person to represent that member |
11 | at meetings of the commission. |
12 | (g) Expense reimbursement.--The commission members shall |
13 | receive no compensation for their services but shall be |
14 | reimbursed for all necessary travel and other reasonable |
15 | expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their |
16 | duties as members. |
17 | (h) Administrative support.--The staff of the State Board of |
18 | Education shall provide administrative support, office space and |
19 | any other assistance required by the commission to carry out its |
20 | duties under this act. Whenever possible, the commission shall |
21 | utilize the services and expertise of existing State government |
22 | personnel, and to this end the Governor, the President pro |
23 | tempore of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate and the |
24 | Speaker of the House of Representatives shall make such |
25 | personnel and staff available to the commission to the fullest |
26 | extent commensurate with the performance of their other duties. |
27 | The Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Higher |
28 | Education Assistance Agency shall also provide such |
29 | administrative and research support as needed by the commission. |
30 | Section 4. Duties of commission. |
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1 | The commission shall have the following powers and duties: |
2 | (1) To evaluate all legal and practical mechanisms to |
3 | provide for tuition controls in higher education. |
4 | (2) To consider the Consumer Price Index and other |
5 | annual or multiannual inflationary indexes as measurement |
6 | tools to quantify allowable tuition increase levels each |
7 | year. |
8 | (3) To review other states' actions and policies and |
9 | their impacts on tuition costs in those states. |
10 | (4) To take into account the assessment of fees and |
11 | other costs not associated with tuition and provide |
12 | reasonable assurances that a tuition control does not |
13 | escalate these costs unnecessarily. |
14 | (5) To respect the unique nature of this Commonwealth's |
15 | four sectors of higher education and the individualized |
16 | concerns of each sector. |
17 | (6) To consider reasonable and limited exceptions to |
18 | tuition controls if necessary. |
19 | (7) In addition to tuition controls, to review and |
20 | recommend any other practical methods to assist in keeping |
21 | college affordable for students attending schools of higher |
22 | education in this Commonwealth. |
23 | Section 5. Report. |
24 | The commission shall issue a report of its findings and |
25 | recommendations to the Governor, the President pro tempore of |
26 | the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of |
27 | the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House |
28 | of Representatives, the chairman and the minority chairman of |
29 | the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and the |
30 | minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of |
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1 | Representatives no later than December 31, 2009. |
2 | Section 6. Effective date. |
3 | This act shall take effect immediately. |
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