FIRST REGULAR SESSION
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES MOORE (Sponsor), MUNZLINGER, PAGE,
SANDERS BROOKS, DUSENBERG, FISHER, WALTON, DAY, EMERY, DONNELLY, ERVIN, WILDBERGER, SUTHERLAND, JOHNSON (61), BIVINS, TILLEY, STORCH, SATER,
BRUNS AND KRAUS (Co-sponsors).Read 1st time January 13, 2005 and copies ordered printed.
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to tuition grants for certain dependents of military members.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 173.234, to read as follows:
173.234. 1. As used in this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms shall mean:
(1) "Board", the coordinating board for higher education;
(2) "Eligible student", the natural, adopted, or stepchild of a qualifying military member, as defined in this section, who is less than twenty-four years of age and who was a dependent of a qualifying military member at the time of death;
(3) "Grant", the military member survivor grant as established by this section;
(4) "Qualifying institution", any approved public or private institution as defined in section 173.205;
(5) "Qualifying military member", any member of the military of the United States, whether active duty, reserve, or national guard, who was killed in the line of duty and who was, at the time of death, a citizen of the state of Missouri;
(6) "Tuition", any tuition or incidental fee or both charged by a qualifying institution, as defined in this section, for attendance at the institution by an eligible student.
2. Within the limits of the amounts appropriated therefor, the board shall provide, as defined in this section, a grant to eligible students who attend qualifying institutions of postsecondary education.
3. An eligible student may receive a grant under this section only so long as the eligible student is enrolled in a program leading to a certificate, or an associate or baccalaureate degree in a qualifying institution. In no event shall the eligible student receive a grant beyond the completion of the first baccalaureate degree or beyond the time the student reaches the age of twenty-four years, except that the eligible student may receive a grant through the completion of the semester or similar grading period in which the eligible student reaches his or her twenty-fourth year. No eligible student shall receive more than one hundred percent of tuition when combined with similar funds made available to such eligible student.
4. The coordinating board for higher education shall:
(1) Promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this section;
(2) Determine minimum standards of performance in order for a student to remain eligible to receive a grant under this program;
(3) Make available on behalf of the eligible student an amount toward the eligible student's tuition which is equal to the grant to which the eligible student is entitled under the provisions of this section;
(4) Provide the forms and determine the procedures necessary for an eligible student to apply for and receive a grant under this program.
5. An eligible student who is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment at a qualifying institution shall receive a grant in an amount not to exceed the least of the following:
(1) The actual tuition, as defined in this section, charged at the qualifying institution where the eligible student is enrolled or accepted for enrollment; or
(2) The amount of tuition charged a Missouri resident at the University of Missouri for attendance as a full-time student, as defined in section 173.205.
6. An eligible student who is a recipient of a grant may transfer from one qualifying institution to another without losing his or her entitlement under this section. The board shall make necessary adjustments in the amount of the grant. If a grant recipient at anytime withdraws from a qualifying institution so that under the rules and regulations of that institution the eligible student is entitled to a refund of any tuition, fees, or other charges, the qualifying institution shall pay the portion of the refund to which the student is entitled attributable to the grant for that semester or similar grading period to the board.
7. If an eligible student is granted financial assistance under any other student aid program, public or private, the full amount of such aid shall be reported to the board by the qualifying institution and the eligible student.
8. Nothing in this section shall be construed as a promise or guarantee that a person will be admitted to a qualifying institution or to a particular qualifying institution, will be allowed to continue to attend a qualifying institution after having been admitted, or will be graduated from a qualifying institution.
9. Pursuant to section 23.253, RSMo, of the Missouri Sunset Act:
(1) The provisions of the new program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset six years after the effective date of this section, unless reauthorized by an act of the general assembly; and
(2) If such program is reauthorized, the program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset twelve years after the effective date of the reauthorization of this section; and
(3) This section shall terminate on September first of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the program authorized under this section is sunset.