Bill Text: CT HB05373 | 2018 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Establishment Of Emergency Expense Grant Programs At Public Institutions Of Higher Education.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-04 - File Number 195 [HB05373 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2018-HB05373-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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February Session, 2018 |
*_____HB05373HED___031918____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EMERGENCY EXPENSE GRANT PROGRAMS AT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2018) (a) A public institution of higher education may establish an emergency expense grant program to provide an emergency expense grant to a student who experiences an unexpected financial hardship that impedes such student's ability to complete his or her degree. Such financial hardship may include, but need not be limited to, expenses relating to childcare, medical care or transportation expenses.
(b) Any student who is enrolled at a public institution of higher education that has established an emergency expense grant program under this section may receive an emergency expense grant through an application submitted by such student to the institution or a nomination on behalf of such student by an employee of the institution. An application or nomination for an emergency expense grant shall include (1) an explanation of the student's financial hardship, (2) documentation substantiating the student's emergency expenses, and (3) any other information the institution may require.
(c) Upon receipt of an application made by a student or a nomination on behalf of a student made by an employee pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, the public institution of higher education may award an emergency expense grant to a student upon determination that the financial hardship would impede the student's ability to complete his or her degree.
(d) For purposes of establishing an emergency expense grant program under this section, a public institution of higher education may (1) accept private donations, (2) allocate state and certain other institutional funds, as defined in section 10a-151f of the general statutes, or (3) apply to the Office of Higher Education for a state matching grant, in accordance with the provisions of section 2 of this act.
(e) A public institution of higher education may apply to the Office of Higher Education, in a manner prescribed by said office, for a state matching grant to support the institution's emergency expense grant program. In order to receive a state matching grant pursuant to section 2 of this act, a public institution of higher education shall maintain a separate nonlapsing emergency expense grant program account. The institution shall deposit into such account (1) all private donations accepted by the institution for the purpose of the emergency expense grant program, (2) all state and certain other institutional funds allocated by the institution for the purpose of the emergency expense grant program, and (3) any state matching grant funds received pursuant to section 2 of this act.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2018) (a) For purposes of an emergency expense grant program established pursuant to section 1 of this act, the Office of Higher Education shall, within available appropriations and upon receipt of an application, provide a state matching grant to any public institution of higher education. In any fiscal year, a state matching grant to a public institution of higher education shall be in an amount equal to the total funds deposited in such institution's emergency expense grant program account, as described in section 1 of this act, minus any funds remaining in such account from the prior fiscal year.
(b) In any fiscal year, the total amount of the state matching grants provided by the Office of Higher Education under this section shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars. If, in any fiscal year, the total amount sought in all state matching grant applications submitted by the public institutions of higher education exceeds the amount available to the Office of Higher Education for the purpose of the emergency expense grant programs, all such matching grants shall be reduced on a pro rata basis.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2018) A public institution of higher education that receives matching grants pursuant to section 2 of this act shall, on or before July 1, 2019, and annually thereafter, submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Office of Higher Education and to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education with information regarding (1) the number of emergency expense grant program applications received and awarded, (2) the average and total dollar amounts of the emergency expense grants requested and awarded, (3) the purposes for which the emergency expense grants were requested, (4) the rates of graduation of recipients of emergency expense grants and the general student body, and (5) any other information as the Office of Higher Education deems necessary.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2018 |
New section |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2018 |
New section |
Sec. 3 |
July 1, 2018 |
New section |
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1, references to "emergency expense program" were replaced with "emergency expense grant program" for consistency. In Section 1,
Subsecs. (d) and (e), references to "institutional funds" were replaced with "state and other institutional funds" for statutory consistency. In Section 1(d), the words "as defined in section 10a-151f of the general statutes" was added for clarity.
HED |
Joint Favorable Subst. |