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Senate Bill No. 141
(By Senators Blatnik and Withers)
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[Introduced January 28, 1994; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact sections three and four, article
five, chapter eighteen-c of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to
establishing the West Virginia student scholarship program;
providing a five hundred dollar annual scholarship to every
West Virginia resident student attending an institution of
higher education of this state; and providing that
scholarships shall be presented to students by members of
the Legislature in whose district the students reside.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That sections three and four, article five, chapter
eighteen-c of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read
as follows:
ARTICLE 5. HIGHER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.
§18C-5-3. Grant program to be administered by senior
administrator; higher education grant fund created.
The grant program established and authorized by this article
shall be administered by the senior administrator. Moneys
appropriated or otherwise available for such purpose shall beallocated by line item to an appropriate account. The grant
program shall include a special scholarship program entitled the
"West Virginia Student Scholarship Program" which shall provide
not more than five hundred dollars each school year to every
resident of this state attending a state supported institution of
higher education in this state.
In addition to an amount no less than the amount of funds
available for the higher education grant program pursuant to the
repealed sections of article twenty-two-b, chapter eighteen of
this code prior to the effective date of this section, there may
be appropriated by the Legislature by line item, to the extent
that funds may be available, an additional one and one-half
million dollars per year for the next five years, beginning with
the fiscal year beginning on the first day of July, one thousand
nine hundred ninety-three.
§18C-5-4. Powers and duties of senior administrator.
Subject to the provisions of this article and within the
limits of appropriations made by the Legislature, the senior
administrator is authorized and empowered: (1) To prepare and
supervise the issuance of public information concerning the grant
program; (2) to prescribe the form and regulate the submission
of applications for grants; (3) administer or contract for the
administration of such examinations as may be prescribed by the
senior administrator; (4) select qualified recipients of grants;
(5) award grants and implement a program in which participants in
the "West Virginia Student Scholarship Program", as provided forin section three of this article, are presented the not more than
five hundred dollar scholarships on an annual basis by the
members of the Legislature in whose district the student resides;
(6) accept grants, gifts, bequests and devises of real and
personal property for the purposes of the grant program; (7)
administer federal and state financial loan programs; (8)
cooperate with approved institutions of higher education in the
state and their governing boards in the administration of the
grant program; (9) make the final decision pertaining to
residency of an applicant for grant or renewal of grant; (10)
employ or engage such professional and administrative employees
as may be necessary to assist the senior administrator in the
performance of the duties and responsibilities, who shall serve
at the will and pleasure and under the direction and control of
the senior administrator; (11) employ or engage such clerical and
other employees as may be necessary to assist the senior
administrator in the performance of the duties and
responsibilities, who shall be under the direction and control
of the senior administrator; (12) prescribe the duties and fix
the compensation of all such employees; and (13) promulgate
reasonable rules and regulations not inconsistent with the
provisions of this article relating to the administration of the
grant program.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create the "West
Virginia Student Scholarship Program" whereby every residentattending a state supported college or university receives a $500
annual scholarship to be presented by the members of the
Legislature in whose district the student resides.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.