Senate Bill 2487

(COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)

AN ACT TO CREATE NEW SECTION 37-106-85, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI DUAL ENROLLMENT/DUAL CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE MISSISSIPPI POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BOARD; TO SET CERTAIN DEFINITIONS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 37-106-87, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO SET ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDING AND PARTICIPATION; TO PROVIDE THAT ALL PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS SHALL BE REIMBURSED AT THE RATE OF 40% OF THE AVERAGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CREDIT HOUR TUITION RATE FOR THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR; TO SET CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 37-106-89, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO SET ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS; TO PROVIDE THAT EACH ELIGIBLE STUDENT MAY BE QUALIFIED FOR FUNDING OF UP TO FIFTEEN DUAL CREDIT SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS PRIOR TO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION; TO SET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 37-106-91, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO SET CERTAIN CRITERIA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE OTHER REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. The following shall be codified as Section 37-106-85, Mississippi Code of 1972:

37-106-85. (1) There is hereby created the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program, to 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 funding for dual credit courses of eligible Mississippi high school students under this section and award scholarships for those who meet the eligibility requirements to participating institutions provided herein.

(2) As used in this act, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed in this subsection, unless context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) "Institution" means any post-secondary educational institution that is a public state-supported institution of higher learning, a public state-supported community or junior college or any not-for-profit private institution of higher learning in the state. The term does not include proprietary colleges or universities.

(b) "Student" means a high school student in a public, private, charter or home-school program in Mississippi.

(c) "Board" means the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board established in Section 37-106-9, which is authorized and empowered to administer the provisions of Title 37, Chapter 106, Mississippi Code of 1972.

(d) "Director" means the individual designated by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to administer the provisions of the various financial assistance programs by promulgating the necessary rules and regulations for their effective administration.

(e) "Dual Enrolled Student" is "a student who is enrolled in a community or junior college or state institution of higher learning while enrolled in high school" as defined in Section 37-15-37(1)(a), Mississippi Code of 1972.

(f) "Dual Credit Student" is "a student who is enrolled in a community or junior college or state institution of higher learning while enrolled in high school and who is receiving high school and college credit for postsecondary coursework" as defined in Section 37-15-38(1)(b), Mississippi Code of 1972.

(g) "Manual" means the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs of which the contents of the manual are evaluated and approved by the Academic Officers of both the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges and the Mississippi institutions of higher learning.

(h) "Program" means the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program.

SECTION 2. The following shall be codified as Section 37-106-87, Mississippi Code of 1972:

37-106-87. (1) An institution may participate in the program by following the guidelines prescribed in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs and the requirements established by the board for participating institutions set forth herein.

(2) Eligibility for funding shall be incorporated into the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs Manual, which will outline the specific criteria. The Academic Officers of both the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning shall evaluate and approve the contents of the manual each year.

(3) The board shall administer the Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program as outlined in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs Manual. Funds shall be distributed by the board to the providing higher education institution on behalf of each eligible student after the enrollment verification period. Funds shall not be distributed by the board directly to the student.

(4) Participation in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program is optional for all institutions defined in subsection 2(a) of this section; provided that in order to qualify for funding, all guidelines in the manual must be followed by each institution.

(5) All participating institutions shall be reimbursed at the rate of forty percent (40%) of the average community college credit hour tuition rate for the current academic year.

(6) Participating institutions may elect to exclude specific centers, branch campuses, collegiate academies and middle colleges within their governance or purview from participating in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program.

SECTION 3. The following shall be codified as Section 37-106-89, Mississippi Code of 1972:

37-106-89. (1) To participate in the program, the scholarship applicant shall satisfy the student eligibility requirements prescribed in the procedures manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs and the requirements established for student eligibility set forth herein.

(2) Each eligible student may be qualified for funding of up to fifteen (15) dual credit semester credit hours prior to high school graduation.

(3) If a dual credit student wishes to take more than fifteen (15) dual credit hours, he/she may be charged regular tuition rates or another rate determined by the college.

(4) Eligible students must meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the procedures manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs Manual.

(5) All students who meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the manual, regardless of participation method, shall meet the requirements for funding allocation to the participating post-secondary educational institution.

(6) All Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program student recipients shall be required to participate in an advising component related to the Mississippi Articulation and Transfer Tool (MATT) to ensure their understanding of course(s) transferability.

(7) Books, course materials, tools, supplies, lab fees, transportation costs and other applicable course fees shall be the responsibility of the student or high school district. The Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program funds shall not cover such costs.

(8) To ensure appropriate articulation of college credits to other institutions, only the courses on the "Approved Academic Dual Credit Listing" (Appendix V of the Manual) shall be eligible for funding.

(9) Early College students shall not be eligible for the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program funding.

(10) Middle College students shall be qualified for the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program funding only if the institution complies with the requirements of the manual.

(11) To participate in the program, students must be residents of the State of Mississippi. Resident status for the purposes of receiving assistance under this act shall be determined in the same manner as resident status for tuition purposes in Sections 37-103-1 through 37-103-29, with the exception of Section 37-103-17.

(12) Dual enrolled students shall be eligible to participate in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program.

SECTION 4. The following shall be codified as Section 37-106-91, Mississippi Code of 1972:

37-106-91. (1) The following criteria shall be adhered to in order to participate in the program:

(a) Future enrollment at the providing institution shall not be required for a student to be eligible for the Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program funds;

(b) It shall be up to each institution to determine which courses are offered for the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program. Students shall earn one (1) high school Carnegie unit per three-hour course successfully completed through the program;

(d) The board shall develop rules for ensuring that expenses of the scholarship program in a fiscal year do not exceed funding for the program in that fiscal year. For that purpose, and any other provision of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, the board may limit the acceptance of scholarship applications and may limit the award of scholarships;

(e) If the state appropriation is insufficient to fully fund all student participation in the program in a given year, those funds will be prorated to the student's account at the eligible participating institution by an amount to be determined by the board. The student or school district shall then be responsible for the remaining balance due for the course taken to the providing institution;

(f) The board may conduct its own annual audits of any institution participating in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program. The board may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to receive future monies under the program if it finds that the institution has not complied with the provisions of the procedures manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs and the requirements established in this section;

(g) The board may conduct its own annual audits of students participating in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program. The board may suspend or revoke a high school's eligibility to participate in the program if it finds the student or high school has not complied with the provisions of the procedures manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment & Accelerated Programs and the requirements established in this section;

(h) The board is hereby authorized to receive one percent (1.0%) of the annual amount appropriated for this program to offset the expenses of administering this program;

(i) The average community college credit hour tuition amount for the current academic year shall be provided annually by the Mississippi Community College Board to the Director of the Board; and

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

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2023.