House Study Bill 12 - Introduced SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BILL) A BILL FOR An Act relating to eligibility requirements for the gap tuition 1 assistance program. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1291XD (2) 86 je/nh

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 260I.3, subsection 2, Code 2015, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. a. Eligibility for tuition assistance under this chapter 3 shall be based on financial need. Criteria to be assessed in 4 determining financial need shall include but is not limited to: 5 a. (1) The applicant’s family income for the twelve six 6 months prior to the date of application. 7 b. (2) The applicant’s family size. 8 c. (3) The applicant’s county of residence. 9 b. An applicant approved for assistance under the 10 supplemental nutrition assistance program at the time of 11 application for assistance under this chapter shall be 12 deemed to have met the financial need requirements under this 13 subsection. 14 Sec. 2. Section 260I.4, Code 2015, is amended by adding the 15 following new subsections: 16 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. Persons earning incomes between 17 one hundred fifty percent and two hundred fifty percent, 18 both percentages inclusive, of the federal poverty level as 19 defined by the most recently revised poverty income guidelines 20 published by the United States department of health and human 21 services shall be given first priority for tuition assistance 22 under this chapter. Persons earning incomes below one hundred 23 fifty percent of the federal poverty level shall be given 24 second priority for tuition assistance under this chapter. 25 NEW SUBSECTION . 8. A person who is eligible for financial 26 assistance pursuant to the federal Workforce Investment Act of 27 1998, Pub. L. No. 105-220, or the federal Workforce Innovation 28 and Opportunity Act, Pub. L. No. 113-128, shall be ineligible 29 for tuition assistance under this chapter unless such funds 30 have been fully expended by a workforce region. 31 EXPLANATION 32 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 33 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 34 This bill relates to eligibility requirements for the gap 35 -1- LSB 1291XD (2) 86 je/nh 1/ 2

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ tuition assistance program, which provides funding to community 1 colleges for need-based tuition assistance to applicants to 2 enable completion of continuing education certificate training 3 programs for in-demand occupations. 4 The bill changes one of the financial need criteria for the 5 program to the applicant’s family income for the six months 6 prior to the date of application. Currently, the period for 7 the criterion is 12 months. 8 The bill provides that an applicant approved for assistance 9 under the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program 10 at the time of application for tuition assistance shall be 11 deemed to have met the financial need requirements for tuition 12 assistance. 13 Eligibility for tuition assistance is currently limited to 14 persons earning incomes at or below 250 percent of the federal 15 poverty level as defined by the most recently revised poverty 16 income guidelines published by the United States department 17 of health and human services. The bill provides that persons 18 earning incomes between 150 percent and 250 percent, both 19 percentages inclusive, of the federal poverty level shall be 20 given first priority for tuition assistance. The bill provides 21 that persons earning incomes below 150 percent of the federal 22 poverty level shall be given second priority for tuition 23 assistance. 24 The bill also provides that a person who is eligible 25 for financial assistance pursuant to the federal Workforce 26 Investment Act of 1998 or the federal Workforce Innovation and 27 Opportunity Act shall be ineligible for tuition assistance 28 unless such funds have been fully expended by a workforce 29 region. 30 -2- LSB 1291XD (2) 86 je/nh 2/ 2