SB635: Bill Text

LRB-4849/1

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2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Senate BILL 635

October 20, 2021 - Introduced by Senators Smith, Larson, Agard, Johnson and Roys, cosponsored by Representatives Shelton, Shankland, Emerson, Andraca, Baldeh, Brostoff, Cabrera, Conley, Hebl, Hesselbein, Hong, McGuire, B. Meyers, Milroy, L. Myers, Neubauer, Pope, S. Rodriguez, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spreitzer, Vining, Vruwink, Subeck and Stubbs. Referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.

SB635,1,3 An Act to create 20.285 (1) (fv) and 36.50 of the statutes; relating to: University of Wisconsin System tuition grant program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

The bill creates a new grant program administered by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. This program provides grants in the form of “last-dollar awards” to supplement the gap between any scholarships or grants that an eligible student receives outside of this program and the full cost of tuition and segregated fees during either eight consecutive semesters for incoming freshmen or four consecutive semesters for incoming transfer students. Summer terms are not counted in the consecutive semester count, and students may not receive the grants for summer terms. Students eligible for the grants must be new incoming students enrolled in their first bachelor's degree whose household federal adjusted gross income is equal to or less than $60,000 a year and must be enrolled in an on-campus program at a UW System institution other than UW-Madison. The bill requires the Board of Regents to promulgate rules to implement and administer the grant program.

The bill also provides additional funding for special education aid the Department of Public Instruction pays to school districts, independent charter schools, cooperative educational service agencies, and county children with disabilities education boards in the amount of $7,520,000 for the 2021-22 fiscal year and $13,735,000 for the 2022-23 fiscal year, for purposes of maintaining compliance with maintenance of effort requirements of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB635,1 Section 1 . 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

SB635,2 Section 2. 20.285 (1) (fv) of the statutes is created to read:

SB635,2,5 20.285 (1) (fv) Tuition promise grant program. The amounts in the schedule for the tuition grants as specified in s. 36.50.

SB635,3 Section 3. 36.50 of the statutes is created to read:

SB635,2,11 36.50 Tuition promise grant program. (1) Grant program. The board shall develop and administer a tuition promise grant program to supplement the gap between any scholarships or grants that an eligible student receives outside of this program and the full cost to the eligible student of academic fees and segregated fees at the institution in which the student is enrolled.

SB635,2,13 (2) Eligibility. (a) Subject to pars. (b) and (c), a student is eligible to receive grants from the program established under sub. (1) if all of the following apply:

SB635,2,14 1. The student is a resident of the state as determined under s. 36.27.

SB635,3,2 2. The student is enrolled in an on-campus program at an institution other than the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

SB635,3,3 3. The student is enrolled in his or her first bachelor's degree program.

SB635,3,5 4. The student's household's annual federal adjusted gross income is equal to or less than $60,000.

SB635,3,7 5. The student meets any acceptable academic standards or additional requirements developed by the board.

SB635,3,10 (b) No grant under this section may be awarded to any person during the period that the person is required to register with the selective service under 50 USC, Appendix, sections 451 to 473, if the person has not so registered.

SB635,3,15 (c) No grant under this section may be awarded to a student whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2) (b), unless the student provides to the board a payment agreement that has been approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is consistent with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).

SB635,3,17 (3) Grant awards. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.285 (1) (fv), the board may award grants to eligible students.

SB635,3,22 (b) The board may award grants under this section to eligible students for either 8 consecutive semesters for incoming freshmen or 4 consecutive semesters for incoming transfer students. Summer terms are not included in the consecutive semester count, and the program funding may not be applied to students' summer term tuition or fees.

SB635,3,24 (4) Rules. The board may promulgate rules to implement and administer this section.

SB635,4 Section 4 . Fiscal changes.

SB635,4,6 (1) Special education aid. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of public instruction under s. 20.255 (2) (b), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2021-22 is increased by $7,520,000 to increase funding for aids for special education under s. 115.88 and the dollar amount for fiscal year 2022-23 is increased by $13,735,000 to increase funding for aids for special education under s. 115.88.

SB635,5 Section 5 . Initial applicability.

SB635,4,9 (1) This act first applies to eligible students who initially enroll in an institution in the first fall semester beginning after the effective date of this subsection.

SB635,4,10 (End)