SENATE, No. 770

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM

District 31 (Hudson)

Senator  STEPHEN M. SWEENEY

District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)

Senator  THOMAS H. KEAN, JR.

District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Oroho, Stack, Beach, Gordon and Ruiz

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Allows students to use certain grant awards during summer session.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Act concerning the use of certain student assistance grants and supplementing chapters 71 and 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a. A student may elect to use a portion of a tuition aid grant award to enroll in the summer session that follows the academic year for courses that will fulfill graduation requirements. Prior to the beginning of the academic year, a student shall notify the authority of the student’s intent to use a portion of the tuition aid grant award for the summer session, and the authority shall adjust the amount of the tuition aid grant award that will be disbursed during the academic year accordingly and notify the student that using a portion of the tuition aid grant award during the summer session will decrease the amount of the award that will be disbursed during the academic year by a specific dollar amount each semester.

     b.    The authority shall annually report the number of students who used a portion of a tuition aid grant award to enroll in the summer session.

     c.     The use of a tuition aid grant award for a summer session shall not count towards the number of academic years for which a student is eligible to receive a grant pursuant to the provisions of subsection b. of N.J.S.18A:71B-20.

 

     2.    a. A student may elect to use a portion of an opportunity grant to enroll in the summer session that follows the academic year for courses that will fulfill graduation requirements.  Prior to the beginning of the academic year, a student shall notify the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education of the student’s intent to use a portion of the opportunity grant for the summer session, and the secretary shall adjust the amount of the opportunity grant that will be disbursed during the academic year accordingly and notify the student that using a portion of the opportunity grant during the summer session will decrease the amount of the grant that will be disbursed during the academic year by a specific dollar amount each semester.

     b.    The secretary shall annually report the number of students who used a portion of an opportunity grant to enroll in the summer session.

     c.     The use of an opportunity grant for a summer session shall not count towards the number of years for which a student is eligible to receive a grant pursuant to the provisions of section 10 of P.L.1968, c.142 (C.18A:71-37)

 

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

 

     Regulations promulgated by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority restrict the number of semesters for which a student may receive an award payment under the tuition aid grant (TAG) program in a manner that precludes students from using a TAG award to support the cost of enrolling in a summer session.

     This bill provides that a student may elect to use a portion of a tuition aid grant (TAG) award, or an opportunity grant funded through the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), during the summer session following the academic year for courses that fulfill graduation requirements.  The student would be responsible for notifying the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), in the case of TAG, or the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, in the case of EOF, of the intent to use a portion of the award during the summer.  HESAA or the secretary, as appropriate, would adjust the amount of the student’s award that will be disbursed during the academic year, and notify the student that using a portion of the grant during the summer session will reduce the amount of the award that will be disbursed during the academic year.  HESAA or the secretary, as appropriate, would also be required to annually report the number of students who elect to use a portion of a grant award to enroll in courses during the summer.

      This bill implements a recommendation of the College Affordability Study Commission which released its final report in September 2016.