Senate Bill 2676

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A MISSISSIPPI HIGHER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM FOR SINGLE MOTHERS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL AID TO COMPLETE TWO- AND FOUR-YEAR DEGREES AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ADMINISTERED BY THE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BILL; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is established the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers. This program is for college or university freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors and will be administered by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board established under Section 37-106-9. The board shall set the dates and deadlines for applying for an award under this section and shall establish the rules and regulations as it deems necessary and proper to carry out the purposes and intent of this section.

(2) The board shall approve grants to full-time and part-time freshman, sophomore, junior and senior Mississippi residents who meet the general requirements for student eligibility as provided in subsection (4) of this section.

(3) Grants under the program shall be for single mothers who are Mississippi resident students from any Mississippi family whose prior year adjusted gross income (AGI) is at or below one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The award shall be applied to tuition, rooms and meals, books, materials, fees and child care expenses and shall be at least One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for students attending any board-approved institution of higher learning or community or junior college. The award will be prorated per term, semester or quarter of the academic year for costs of attendance, calculated according to the formula specified in subsection (8) of this section.

(4) The general requirements for initial eligibility for the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers shall consist of the following:

(a) An unmarried mother to at least one (1) minor child.

(b) Member of a Mississippi family whose prior year adjusted gross income (AGI) is at or below one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

(c) Acceptance for enrollment at any state institution of higher learning or public community or junior college located in Mississippi, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university located in Mississippi and approved by the board.

(d) Completion of a secondary education as follows:

(i) Graduation from high school verified by the institution before disbursement of award with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 calculated on a 4.0 scale after seven (7) semesters as certified by the high school counselor or other authorized school official on the application; or

(ii) Attendance at a home education program during grade levels 9 through 12; or

(iii) Satisfactory completion of the High School Equivalency Diploma; or

(iv) Successful completion of the International Baccalaureate Program.

(e) A minimum score of fifteen (15) on the ACT test except that any student entering a vocational or technical program of study, or who has satisfactorily completed the High School Equivalency Diploma Test and attends a community or junior college will not be required to have a test score under the ACT unless a student enrolls in courses of academic study.

(f) Any student currently enrolled in any qualified institution shall have to only meet the same requirements as students who are applying for a renewal award.

(5) By accepting a Mississippi Higher Education Grant for Single Mothers, the student is attesting to the accuracy, completeness and correctness of information provided to demonstrate the student's eligibility. Falsification of such information shall result in the denial of any pending grant and revocation of any award currently held to the extent that no further payments shall be made. Any student knowingly making false statements in order to receive a grant shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, upon conviction thereof, by a fine of up to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), a prison sentence of up to one (1) year in the county jail, or both, and shall be required to return all grants wrongfully obtained.

(6) Eligibility for renewal of Mississippi Higher Education Grants for Single Mothers shall be evaluated at the end of each semester, or term, of each academic year. As a condition for renewal, a student shall:

(a) Make steady academic progress toward a certificate or degree, as outlined in the school Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and certified by the institution's registrar.

(b) Maintain continuous enrollment for not less than two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters in each successive academic year, unless granted an exception for cause by the administering board; examples of cause may include student participation in a cooperative program, internship program or foreign study program. If a student fails to maintain continuous enrollment, and is not granted an exception for cause by the administering board, the student is ineligible to receive the grant during the following semester or trimester or term of the regular academic year.

(c) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of each semester or trimester or term.

(7) Each student, each year, must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid form or a Statement of Certification as designed by the administering board to determine his/her eligibility for a grant.

(8) (a) The amount of the Mississippi Higher Education Grant for Single Mothers awarded to any one (1) student, up to the maximum amount provided in subsection (3) of this section, shall be the difference of the student's cost of attendance at her accredited college of choice and the amount of federal aid such student may receive, not to supplant but to supplement the amount of any federal aid awarded to the student. Cost of attendance is the tuition and fees of the applicable institution plus an allowance for room, meals, books, materials and child care expenses.

(b) Payment of the grant shall be made payable to the recipient and the educational institution and mailed directly to the institution, to be applied first to tuition.

(9) In order for an institution to remain eligible for its students to participate in the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers, the institution shall comply with any other requirements set forth by the board.

(10) No student may receive a Mississippi Higher Education Grant for Single Mothers for more than the equivalent semesters or quarters required to complete one (1) baccalaureate degree or one (1) certificate or associate degree program per institution.

(11) In no case shall any student receive any combination of student financial aid that would exceed the cost of attendance, as defined in subsection (8)(a) of this section.

SECTION 2. Each federal fiscal year, any and all Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) state Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funds spend on or allocated to state-funded scholarship programs administered by the Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning and/or the Mississippi Community College Board shall henceforth be spent solely on or allocated solely for the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers. This funding requirement shall not preclude any additional state funds to be spent on or allocated to the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.