House File 234
HOUSE FILE
BY MAY
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to postsecondary tuition status and delayed
2 payment of tuition and fees at community colleges and state
3 universities for veterans and members of the state and federal
4 military forces.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
6 TLSB 1368YH 82
7 kh/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 260C.14, subsection 2, Code 2007, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 2. Have authority to determine tuition rates for
1 4 instruction.
1 5 a. Tuition for residents of Iowa shall not exceed the
1 6 lowest tuition rate per semester, or the equivalent, charged
1 7 by an institution of higher education under the state board of
1 8 regents for a full=time resident student. However, except for
1 9 students enrolled under chapter 261C, if a local school
1 10 district pays tuition for a resident pupil of high school age,
1 11 the limitation on tuition for residents of Iowa shall not
1 12 apply, the amount of tuition shall be determined by the board
1 13 of directors of the community college with the consent of the
1 14 local school board, and the pupil shall not be included in the
1 15 full=time equivalent enrollment of the community college for
1 16 the purpose of computing general aid to the community college.
1 17 b. Tuition for nonresidents of Iowa shall not be less than
1 18 the marginal cost of instruction of a student attending the
1 19 college.
1 20 c. A lower tuition for nonresidents may be permitted under
1 21 a reciprocal tuition agreement between a merged area and an
1 22 educational institution in another state, if the agreement is
1 23 approved by the director.
1 24 d. A person who is a nonresident and who is a veteran as
1 25 defined in section 35.1, subsection 2, or a member of the Iowa
1 26 national guard or reserve forces of the United States, or who
1 27 is a member of the armed forces of the United States or the
1 28 army national guard of the United States or the air national
1 29 guard of the United States and who is ordered to state active
1 30 duty or federal service, as defined in section 29A.1, shall be
1 31 considered a resident for purposes of determining the person's
1 32 tuition rate.
1 33 e. Late fees or other late charges shall not be assessed
1 34 against a veteran, as defined in section 35.1, subsection 2,
1 35 who is eligible to receive federal educational assistance and
2 1 who has applied for that assistance but not yet received it,
2 2 nor shall the veteran be prevented from registering for a
2 3 subsequent term because of outstanding tuition charges that
2 4 arise from delayed federal payments. The board may request
2 5 payment without delay of the amount of tuition that exceeds
2 6 the expected federal educational assistance and may require
2 7 payment of the full amount of tuition owed by the veteran
2 8 within thirty days of receipt of the expected federal
2 9 educational assistance.
2 10 f. The board may designate that a portion of the tuition
2 11 moneys collected from students be used for student aid
2 12 purposes.
2 13 Sec. 2. Section 262.9, subsection 29, Code 2007, is
2 14 amended to read as follows:
2 15 29. Direct Develop and adopt rules which direct the
2 16 institutions of higher education under its control to adopt do
2 17 the following:
2 18 a. Adopt a policy to offer not less than the following
2 19 options to a student who is a member of the Iowa national
2 20 guard or reserve forces of the United States and who is
2 21 ordered to state military service active duty or federal
2 22 service or duty, as defined in section 29A.1:
2 23 a. (1) Withdraw from the student's entire registration
2 24 and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
2 25 b. (2) Make arrangements with the student's instructors
2 26 for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed
2 27 by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are
2 28 made, the student's registration shall remain intact and
2 29 tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses
2 30 in full.
2 31 c. (3) Make arrangements with only some of the student's
2 32 instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be
2 33 completed by the student at a later date. If such
2 34 arrangements are made, the registration for those courses
2 35 shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be
3 1 assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements
3 2 cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered
3 3 dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course
3 4 refunded.
3 5 b. Consider a person, for purposes of determining the
3 6 person's tuition rate, to be a resident if the person is a
3 7 veteran as defined in section 35.1, subsection 2, or a member
3 8 of the Iowa national guard or reserve forces of the United
3 9 States, or who is a member of the armed forces of the United
3 10 States or the army national guard of the United States or the
3 11 air national guard of the United States and who is ordered to
3 12 state active duty or federal service, as defined in section
3 13 29A.1.
3 14 c. Establish that late fees or other late charges shall
3 15 not be assessed against a veteran, as defined in section 35.1,
3 16 subsection 2, who is eligible to receive federal educational
3 17 assistance and who has applied for that assistance but not yet
3 18 received it. The policy shall also provide that the veteran
3 19 shall not be prevented from registering for a subsequent term
3 20 because of outstanding tuition charges that arise from delayed
3 21 federal payments. A university may request payment without
3 22 delay of the amount of tuition that exceeds the expected
3 23 federal educational assistance and may require payment of the
3 24 full amount of tuition owed by the veteran within thirty days
3 25 of receipt of the expected federal educational assistance.
3 26 EXPLANATION
3 27 This bill provides that a veteran or person on active duty
3 28 in the national guard, reserves, or in the armed forces of the
3 29 United States is to be considered a resident for purposes of
3 30 determining the person's tuition rate at a community college
3 31 or state university.
3 32 The bill also provides that community colleges and state
3 33 universities cannot charge fees or other late charges to a
3 34 veteran, nor can the veteran's registration be prevented if
3 35 the veteran is eligible for federal educational assistance and
4 1 has applied for the assistance but not yet received it.
4 2 However, the bill permits the institutions to request of the
4 3 veteran payment of the amount of tuition that exceeds the
4 4 expected federal assistance and may require full payment from
4 5 a veteran within 30 days of the veteran's receipt of the
4 6 expected federal assistance.
4 7 LSB 1368YH 82
4 8 kh:sc/je/5