FIRST REGULAR SESSION
[P E R F E C T E D]
SENATE BILL NO. 443
90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JACOB.
Read 1st time February 11, 1999, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
Read 2nd time February 22, 1999, and referred to the Committee on Education.
Reported from the Committee March 11, 1999, with recommendation that the bill do pass and be placed on the Consent Calendar.
Taken up March 25, 1999. Read 3rd time and placed upon its final passage; bill passed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
S1586.01P
AN ACT
To repeal section 173.820, RSMo Supp. 1998, relating to Missouri college guarantee program, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to the same subject, with an emergency clause.
Section A. Section 173.820, RSMo Supp. 1998, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 173.820, to read as follows:
173.820. 1. A student shall be eligible for an initial or renewed scholarship if such student is in compliance with the eligibility requirements set forth in section 173.215, and in addition meets the following requirements:
(1) Has a cumulative grade point average of at least two and one-half on a four point scale or equivalent on the student's high school core curriculum and has completed a high school curriculum satisfying the coordinating board's requirements for a college preparatory or technical preparatory curriculum;
(2) Has received a score of twenty or higher on the general American College Test (ACT) or a composite verbal and math score of nine hundred and fifty or higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT);
(3) Has not been convicted of or pled guilty to any criminal offense or been adjudicated to have committed an offense which would constitute a criminal offense if committed by an adult;
(4) Has substantially participated in extracurricular activities, as determined by the coordinating board; and
(5) For the purpose of renewal, remains in compliance with the applicable provisions of section 173.215, and makes satisfactory academic degree progress as a full-time student.
2. (1) A student seeking a scholarship pursuant to sections 173.810 to 173.827 shall maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least two point five on a four point scale, or the equivalent on another scale approved by the program administrator while attending the approved public or private institution.
(2) If the grade point average of a member who is receiving educational assistance pursuant to sections 173.810 to 173.827 falls below two point five on a four point scale, or the equivalent on another scale, such member shall retain the educational assistance and shall be placed on probation under the educational assistance program. Failure to achieve a current grade point average of at least two point five on a four point scale, or the equivalent on another scale for future semesters or equivalent academic terms shall result in termination of the scholarship effective as of the next academic term. The member shall be removed from probation status upon achieving a cumulative grade point average of two point five on a four point scale or the equivalent on another scale.
3. Scholarships shall be offered beginning for any academic term beginning within twenty-four months following the date of graduation from high school to Missouri high school graduates who meet the requirements of subsection 1 of this section. The scholarship shall be applicable toward payment for tuition and other fees and the costs of books and other education-related expenses. The amount of the scholarship, regardless of the institution attended, shall not exceed the current average cost of tuition and fees at the campus of the University of Missouri which has the largest total enrollment, as determined by the coordinating board, and a book allowance as determined by the coordinating board.
4. The amount of scholarship provided under sections 173.810 to 173.827 shall be based upon financial need as determined under sections 173.810 to 173.827, shall be subject to the maximum amount established in subsection 2 of this section and shall be further reduced by the amount of any nonloan need-based federal financial aid, all other nonloan need-based assistance received by or on behalf of the student pursuant to other provisions of this chapter and any other nonloan need-based state financial aid which aid or assistance may be used for the purposes established pursuant to subsection 2 of this section for scholarships granted pursuant to sections 173.810 to 173.827.
5. A student who is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment as a postsecondary student at an approved private or public institution beginning with the fall [2000] 1999 term and who meets the other eligibility requirements for a scholarship pursuant to sections 173.810 to 173.827 shall, within the limits of the funds appropriated and made available, be offered a scholarship for the first academic year of study as provided in sections 173.810 to 173.827. Such scholarship shall be renewable in like amount annually for the second, third, fourth and fifth academic years, or as long as the recipient is in compliance with the applicable eligibility requirements set forth in section 173.215, provided such years of study are continuous and the student continues to meet eligibility requirements for the scholarship. If a recipient ceases all attendance at an approved public or private institution for the purpose of providing service to a nonprofit organization, a state or federal government agency or any branch of the armed forces of the United States, the recipient shall be eligible for a renewal scholarship upon return to any approved public or private institution, provided the recipient:
(1) Returns to full-time status within twenty-seven months;
(2) Provides verification, in compliance with rules of the coordinating board, that the service to the nonprofit organization was satisfactorily completed and was not compensated other than for expenses or that the service to the state or federal governmental agency or branch of the armed forces of the United States was satisfactorily completed; and
(3) Meets all other requirements established for eligibility to receive a renewal scholarship.
Section B. Because of the immediate need to provide scholarship funding for higher education in this state, this act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace and safety, and is hereby declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the constitution, and this act shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.