AB815: Bill Text

LRB-1176/1

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2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE

2015 Assembly BILL 815

January 27, 2016 - Introduced by Representatives Mason, Barnes, Berceau, Goyke, Hebl, Johnson, Ohnstad, Pope, Sargent, Shankland, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Subeck, C. Taylor, Wachs, Zamarripa and Zepnick, cosponsored by Senators Hansen, Vinehout, Carpenter, Harris Dodd, Risser and Wirch. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.

AB815,1,3 An Act to create 20.292 (1) (cm) and 38.24 (9) of the statutes; relating to: the state share of funding for a federal program to provide tuition-free enrollment for certain technical college students and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires technical college district boards to grant fee remissions to resident students who meet certain requirements and who are receiving federal funding under a federal program to provide students at technical colleges with two years of tuition-free education. The amount of the fee remission is the difference between the student's fees (without the remission) and the amount of federal funding applied toward payment of these fees. The Wisconsin Technical College System Board must make payments, from a sum sufficient general purpose revenue appropriation, to the technical college district boards to fully fund these fee remissions.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB815,1 Section 1. 20.292 (1) (cm) of the statutes is created to read:

AB815,2,2 20.292 (1) (cm) Fee remissions associated with federal program. A sum sufficient to fund the fee remissions under s. 38.24 (9).

AB815,2 Section 2. 38.24 (9) of the statutes is created to read:

AB815,2,7 38.24 (9) State share of federal free tuition program. (a) In this subsection, "federal fee remission program" means a federal program initiated or administered by the federal department of education to provide students at community or technical colleges with 2 years of tuition-free education.

AB815,2,10 (b) The district board shall grant a remission of fees under sub. (1m) (a) to (c), in an amount determined under par. (c), to any student to whom all of the following apply:

AB815,2,11 1. The student is a resident of this state.

AB815,2,14 2. The student is enrolled at least half-time in a program leading to an associate of arts degree, a collegiate transfer program, or a vocational diploma program.

AB815,2,17 3. The student is participating in a federal fee remission program and federal funds are applied on the student's behalf toward payment of the fees under sub. (1m) (a) to (c).

AB815,2,19 4. The student maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 and makes steady progress toward completing a program under subd. 2.

AB815,2,23 (c) The amount of the fee remission under par. (b) shall be the difference between the amount of the student's fees under sub. (1m) (a) to (c) without the remission and the amount of federal funds applied on the student's behalf for payment of these fees.

AB815,3,2 (d) From the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (cm), the board shall make payments to district boards to fully fund the fee remissions under this subsection.

AB815,3,3 (End)