H. B. 3227


(By Delegates Amores, J. Smith, Brown and Keener)
[Introduced March 30, 2001; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]




A BILL to amend and reenact section six, article seven, chapter eighteen-c of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to requirements for PROMISE scholarships.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section six, article seven, 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 7. WEST VIRGINIA PROVIDING REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR
MAXIMIZING IN-STATE STUDENT EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM.
§18C-7-6. Requirements for rules promulgated by the board.
(a) The board shall propose rules which shall include at least the following:
(1) A requirement that a scholarship will not pay an amount that exceeds the cost of tuition at state institutions of higher education and may include an allowance for books and supplies;
(2) A requirement that a scholarship in combination with aid from all other sources shall not exceed the cost of education at the institution the recipient is attending;
(3) Minimum requirements for eligibility for the scholarship which include:
(A) A provision that a student is only eligible to apply for a scholarship within two years of the time he or she graduates from high school: Provided, That if a student has entered the United States armed services within two years after he or she graduates from high school, the student is eligible to apply for a scholarship within seven years of the time he or she enters military service: Provided, however, That once discharged from the military, the student is only eligible to apply for one year from the date of discharge;
(B) For individuals with zero to fifteen credits from an institution of higher education, that the individual attain at least a "B" average at the secondary level as defined by the board;
(C) For individuals with more than fifteen credits from an institution of higher education, that the individual attain and maintain at least a "B" average at the undergraduate education level as defined by the board; and
(D) For all individuals, additional objective standards as the board considers necessary to promote academic excellence and to maintain the financial stability of the fund, except that the award of scholarships shall be based solely on the merit of the individual and not on financial need; and
(E) A provision requiring an eligible individual to be a resident of West Virginia and that allows for the eligibility of transfer students;
(4) A provision requiring the student to be enrolled in or in the process of enrolling accepted for enrollment in an eligible institution as defined in section three of this article;
(5) Provisions for making the highest and best use of the PROMISE scholarship program in conjunction with the West Virginia prepaid tuition trust act set forth in article thirty, chapter eighteen of this code;
(6) A determination of whether to require scholarship recipients to repay the amount of their scholarship, in whole or in part, if they choose to work outside the state after graduation;
(7) A determination of whether to set aside a portion of the scholarship funds for targeted scholarships for applicants accepted or enrolled in an engineering program, science program, technology program or other designated programs;
(8) A determination whether to require persons to file federal financial aid forms before they may receive a PROMISE scholarship; and
(9) A determination of what other sources of funding for higher education, if any, should be deducted from the PROMISE scholarship award;
(10 Provisions for allowing home-schooled individuals to receive awards;
(11) Provisions for allowing individuals who have received a general equivalency diploma to receive awards;
(12) A requirement that any individual receiving an award under this article, agrees as a condition of receiving the award, that if the person fails to receive a degree within a reasonable time, that the total amount of funds received will be repaid at a low rate of interest and within a time, determined by the board; and
(b) The board shall use the services of the senior administrator and any employees of the senior administrator in drafting the rules. The New rules shall be submitted to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability on or before the first day of December, one two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine one.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide additional requirements for PROMISE scholarships.

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