House Bill 1394

AN ACT TO CREATE THE DUAL CREDIT COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, WHICH SHALL CONSIST OF THE ACADEMIC DUAL CREDIT COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL DUAL CREDIT COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD TO ADMINISTER THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program. The program shall consist of the Academic Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program provided for under subsection (3) and the Career and Technical Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program provided for under subsection (4).

(2) The Mississippi Community College Board shall administer the Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program. The board shall develop rules and regulations to implement the program for participating public community and junior colleges that provide dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities to high school students who meet certain qualifications. The Mississippi Community College Board shall create a platform for interested students to apply online for the scholarships. Funding for approved scholarships must be awarded to the credit of the public community or junior college providing the dual credit instruction. Public community and junior colleges shall be the sole provider of dual credit for students participating in the program. Funding for this program will be administered through a special fund at the Mississippi Community College Board and is subject to appropriation.

(3) (a) The Academic Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program is limited to one hundred thirty thousand (130,000) semester hours of credit in the 2022-2023 academic year. Subject to appropriation, for the 2022-2023 academic year, each academic dual credit student scholarship must be funded at One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) per semester hour of credit, and for each academic year thereafter, the public community and junior colleges shall adjust the per semester credit hour rate based on system-wide actual tuition costs.

(b) All eligible public, private and homeschooled high school students must be approved for participation in the Academic Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program, subject to the following criteria:

(i) All dual credit standards including, but not limited to, Academic & Eligibility Requirements, Course Requirements, Faculty and Institutional Qualifications and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation criteria as provided in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs, jointly adopted by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, or a subsequent document, must be strictly adhered to.

(ii) Students participating in the program must reside within the State of Mississippi.

(iii) Students participating in the program are responsible for books, supplies and transportation costs.

(4) (a) The Career and Technical Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program is limited to twenty thousand (20,000) semester hours of credit in the 2022-2023 academic year. Subject to appropriation, each career and technical dual credit student scholarship must be funded at Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per semester hour of credit beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year.

(b) All eligible public, private and homeschooled high school students must be approved for participation in the Career and Technical Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program, subject to the following criteria:

(i) All dual credit standards including, but not limited to, Career and Technical Eligibility Requirements, Course Requirements, Faculty and Institutional Qualifications and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation criteria as provided in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs, jointly adopted by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, or a subsequent document, must be strictly adhered to.

(ii) Laboratories designed for providing instruction in career and technical courses must meet community and junior colleges' standards of quality.

(iii) Students participating in the program must reside within the State of Mississippi.

(iv) Students participating in the program are responsible for books, tools, supplies and transportation costs.

(5) The Mississippi Community College Board shall set application deadlines for dual credit students applying for Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program funds. If funds are insufficient to fully fund scholarship awards for eligible students, scholarship awards must be prorated among all eligible students to the credit of public community and junior colleges.

(6) The Legislature may appropriate funds annually to implement, administer and make awards under the programs provided for in this section. The Mississippi Community College Board may seek, accept and expend funds from any source, including private business, industry, foundations and other groups as well as any federal or other governmental funding available for this purpose.

(7) At the end of the fiscal year, any unexpended balances appropriated by the Legislature for the implementation or administration of programs provided for in this section do not lapse into the State General Fund but must carry over and be available for expenditure in the succeeding fiscal year for the same purpose.

(8) The Dual Credit Community College Scholarship Program must be suspended if funding is not provided.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.