House File 2023 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 2023
BY LATHAM
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing the United States army reserve service
2 scholarship program within the college student aid
3 commission.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.211A United States army reserve
2 service scholarship program.
3 1. A United States army reserve service scholarship program
4 is established to be administered by the college student aid
5 commission for members of the reserve forces of the United
6 States army who are enrolled as undergraduate students in an
7 Iowa community college, an institution of higher learning under
8 the control of the state board of regents, or an accredited
9 private institution as defined in section 256.183. The college
10 student aid commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter
11 17A to administer this section. An individual is eligible for
12 the United States army reserve service scholarship program if
13 the individual meets all of the following conditions:
14 a. Is a resident of the state and a member of a United
15 States army reserve unit located in this state while receiving
16 scholarship award payments issued pursuant to this section.
17 b. Satisfactorily completed required initial active duty
18 training.
19 c. Maintains satisfactory performance of duty upon return
20 from initial active duty training.
21 d. Is enrolled as an undergraduate student in a community
22 college as defined in section 260C.2, an institution of higher
23 learning under the control of the state board of regents, or an
24 accredited private institution as defined in section 256.183,
25 and maintains satisfactory academic progress.
26 e. Completes and submits application forms required by the
27 college student aid commission, including the free application
28 for federal student aid, and applies for all nonrepayable state
29 and federal financial aid for which the member is eligible.
30 f. Is certified by the United States army reserve command,
31 or another appropriate entity, as meeting the requirements of
32 this section.
33 2. Scholarship awards paid pursuant to this section
34 shall not exceed the resident tuition rate established for
35 institutions of higher learning under the control of the
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1 state board of regents. If the amount appropriated in a
2 fiscal year for purposes of this section is insufficient to
3 provide scholarships to all who apply for the program and who
4 are determined to be eligible for the program pursuant to
5 subsection 1, paragraph “f”, the college student aid commission
6 shall determine the distribution of scholarships. Eligibility
7 and scholarship award determinations shall not be based upon a
8 member’s unit or the location at which drills are attended.
9 3. a. Except as provided for in paragraph “b”, an eligible
10 member of the United States army reserve, attending an
11 institution as provided in subsection 1, paragraph “d”, shall
12 not receive scholarship awards under this section for more than
13 one hundred twenty semester, or the equivalent, credit hours
14 of undergraduate study.
15 b. An eligible member of the United States army reserve,
16 attending an institution as provided in subsection 1,
17 paragraph “d”, who is enrolled in a program of education
18 leading to a postsecondary degree that meets the eligibility
19 requirements for the federal Edith Nourse Rogers STEM
20 scholarship established under 38 U.S.C. §3320, shall not
21 receive scholarship awards issued under this section for more
22 than one hundred thirty semester, or the equivalent, credit
23 hours of undergraduate study.
24 c. Except as provided for in paragraph “b”, an eligible
25 member of the United States army reserve shall not receive
26 scholarship awards for more than one hundred twenty semester
27 hours combined between the United States army reserve service
28 scholarship program established pursuant to this section and
29 the national guard service scholarship established pursuant to
30 section 256.210.
31 d. A United States army reserve member who has met the
32 educational requirements for a baccalaureate degree is
33 ineligible for a scholarship award under this section.
34 4. The eligibility of applicants shall be certified by
35 the United States army reserve command or another appropriate
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1 entity. Awards under this section shall be paid to the
2 community college, accredited private institution, or
3 institution of higher learning under the control of the state
4 board of regents by the college student aid commission upon
5 receipt of certification by the educational institution as to
6 accuracy of charges made and as to the attendance and academic
7 progress of the individual at the educational institution.
8 The college student aid commission shall maintain an annual
9 record of the number of participants and the dollar value of
10 the awards issued.
11 5. Scholarships awarded under this section may be used by
12 the recipient for the recipient’s cost of attendance as defined
13 in Tit. IV, pt. B, of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965,
14 as amended.
15 6. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated
16 for purposes of this section which remain unencumbered or
17 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year for which the funds
18 were appropriated shall not revert but shall be available for
19 expenditure for the following fiscal year for purposes of this
20 section.
21 Sec. 2. CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVE. The Code editor shall
22 designate section 256.211A, as enacted in this Act, as a new
23 section within chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 4, subpart
24 G, and may redesignate the preexisting subpart and correct
25 internal references as necessary, including references to
26 subpart headnotes.
27 EXPLANATION
28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
29 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
30 This bill establishes the United States army reserve service
31 scholarship program within the college student aid commission
32 to provide scholarships to certain members of the reserve
33 forces of the United States army. The bill provides that an
34 individual is eligible for a scholarship under the program if
35 the individual is a resident of the state and a member of a
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1 United States army reserve unit while receiving scholarship
2 award payments; satisfactorily completed required initial
3 active duty training; maintains satisfactory performance
4 of duty upon return from initial active duty training; is
5 enrolled as an undergraduate student in a community college
6 in this state, an institution of higher learning under the
7 control of the state board of regents, or an accredited
8 private institution, and maintains satisfactory academic
9 progress; completes and submits application forms required
10 by the commission and applies for all nonrepayable state and
11 federal financial aid for which the member is eligible; and is
12 certified as meeting the requirements under the program.
13 The bill provides that scholarship awards under the program
14 shall not exceed the resident tuition rate established for
15 institutions of higher learning under the control of the state
16 board of regents. If the amount appropriated in a fiscal
17 year for purposes of the program is insufficient to provide
18 scholarships to all who apply for and are eligible for the
19 program, the commission shall determine the distribution of
20 scholarships.
21 The bill prohibits an eligible member of the United
22 States army reserve from receiving scholarship awards under
23 the program for more than 120 semester credit hours of
24 undergraduate study. However, an eligible member of the
25 United States army reserve who is enrolled in a program of
26 education leading to a postsecondary degree that meets the
27 eligibility requirements for the federal Edith Nourse Rogers
28 STEM scholarship may receive scholarship awards under the
29 program for 130 semester credit hours of undergraduate study.
30 The bill establishes limits on the amount of scholarship awards
31 for eligible members who receive scholarship awards under the
32 program and the national guard service scholarship program. A
33 United States army reserve member who has met the educational
34 requirements for a baccalaureate degree is ineligible for a
35 scholarship award under the program.
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1 Awards under the program shall be paid to the educational
2 institution by the commission upon receipt of certification by
3 the educational institution as to accuracy of charges made and
4 as to the attendance and academic progress of the individual
5 at the educational institution. The commission must maintain
6 an annual record of the number of participants and the dollar
7 value of the awards issued under the program.
8 Scholarships awarded under the program may be used by the
9 recipient for the recipient’s cost of attendance as defined in
10 the federal Higher Education Act of 1965.
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