SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1842

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JUNE 12, 1997

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1842 with committee amendments.         

      As amended, this bill expands the tuition aid grant program to part-time undergraduate students who are enrolled after July, 1998 in an institution of collegiate grade in New Jersey licensed by the Commission on Higher Education. Part-time grant awards would be prorated against the full-time grant award as follows: an eligible student enrolled on a half-time basis would receive a part-time tuition aid grant award equal to one-half of the value of the student's full-time award and an eligible student enrolled on a three-quarter time basis would receive a part-time tuition aid grant award equal to three-quarters of the student's full-time award. Appropriations for each program category of part-time tuition aid grants would be made separately by line item in order to ensure that funding for the part-time tuition aid grants would not lead to a reduction in the funding for the full-time tuition aid grants.

      The committee adopted amendments which provide that the grants would be awarded to part-time students enrolled after July 1, 1998, rather than July 1, 1997, specify how the part-time grant awards would be prorated, and require the appropriations for the part-time tuition aid grants to be made separately by line item.