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Introduced Version Senate Bill 610 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted

FISCAL NOTEWEST virginia legislature

2021 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 610

By Senators Baldwin, Ihlenfeld, Woelfel, Stollings, Hamilton, Jeffries, Lindsay, Rucker, and Plymale

[Introduced March 10, 2021; referred
to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18B-10-7d, relating to providing tuition and fee waivers for terms of service completed in West Virginia as AmeriCorps volunteer; specifying programs, conditions, required minimum hours of service, and limitation of semesters applicable; defining nominal value; providing that tuition and fee waivers are in addition to others permitted; authorizing governing boards to establish limits; and authorizing legislative rulemaking for certain purposes.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:


ARTICLE 10. FEES AND OTHER MONEY COLLECTED AT STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

§18B-10-7d. Tuition waivers for National Service Volunteers serving in West Virginia.

(a) The governing boards shall make provision for institutions under their respective jurisdictions to award tuition and fee waivers for undergraduate and graduate courses at state institutions of higher education beginning in the 2021 fall semester or term for any student who has completed service in West Virginia as a participant in an AmeriCorps State, National, VISTA or Senior Corps program in accordance with the following:

(1) The student has applied and been accepted at the institution;

(2) The student has filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and has accepted all offers of state and federal financial assistance for which he or she is eligible: Provided, That the student is not required to accept offers of student loan or work study assistance;

(3) The student has selected the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award;

(4) The student has successfully completed his or her term of service as defined by the AmeriCorps program and consistent with regulations of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the service was completed in West Virginia, and the Certification of Service Letter is provided to the state institution of higher education as documentation of the completion of service;

(5) The student shall be awarded a tuition and fee waiver for one semester for successful completion of a term of service requiring a minimum of 600 hours of service, or for successfully competing more than one term of service whose hours of service total to at least 600 hours. The student shall be awarded a tuition and fee waiver for two semesters for successful completion of a term of service requiring a minimum of 1,200 hours of service, or for successfully competing more than one term of service whose hours of service total to at least 1,200 hours. The hours of service used to qualify for an award may not be again used to qualify for another award.

(6) A student may successfully complete additional terms of service while enrolled at a state institution of higher education or between semesters and provide the documentation specified in subdivision (a)(4) of this section to the state institution for waivers of tuition and fees in accordance with this section;

(6) The total number of tuition and fee waivers that may be granted to a student pursuant to this section is limited to eight semesters of enrollment at the undergraduate or graduate levels combined;

(7) The nominal value of a tuition and fee waiver is the remaining cost of tuition and fees after the state and federal financial assistance accepted by the student in accordance with subdivision (a)(2) of this section has been applied: Provided, That if the subsequent application of the student’s Segal AmeriCorps Education Award causes the total of the student’s financial assistance, waivers and grants to exceed the student’s cost of attendance, the nominal value of the tuition and fee waiver may be further reduced to reach the cost of attendance; and

(8) The award of a tuition and fee waiver is contingent upon the student meeting the academic progress standards established by the institution.

(b) The award of tuition and fee waivers granted pursuant to this section is in addition to the tuition and fee waivers otherwise permitted in this article.

(c) The governing boards may establish any limitations on the provisions of this section as they consider proper.

(d) The Commission and the Council may propose rules for legislative approval, pursuant to the provisions of §29A-3A-1 et seq. if necessary to provide for uniformity in the administration and tracking of awards made pursuant to this section.

 

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for tuition and fee waivers at state institutions of higher education for volunteers who have completed service in West Virginia in AmeriCorps programs. The waivers are for up to eight semesters of undergraduate or graduate study, combined, proportionate to the time served in AmeriCorps.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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