MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1998 Regular Session

To: Universities and Colleges; Appropriations

By: Representative Banks

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MELVIN PRIESTER REPARATION SCHOLARSHIP ACT; TO PROVIDE THAT THE LEGISLATURE SHALL APPROPRIATE SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS THAT SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AS A COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TO MELVIN PRIESTER AND ANY OTHER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WHO APPLIED IN 1996 AND 1997 FOR THE ROBERT BYRD SCHOLARSHIP BUT DID NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT AND WERE THEREFORE NOT CONSIDERED FOR THE ROBERT BYRD SCHOLARSHIP; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the Melvin Priester Reparation Act. The Legislature shall appropriate One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) which shall be distributed by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning as a college scholarship to be known as the Melvin Priester Reparation Scholarship Act and any other student who applied in 1996 and 1997 for the Robert Byrd Scholarship, had straight A's in high school, was enrolled in all Advanced Placement courses in high school and, however, had no senior high transcript and was thereby precluded from being considered for the Robert Byrd Scholarship. The board is charged with the duty of determining those high school students who qualify for the scholarship provided under this section and distributing the funds to those qualified students in such a manner as to give each such student Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00) if that student would have received a Robert Byrd Scholarship if he had been considered for it upon review of his transcripts. The Legislature shall appropriate the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1998.