Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
Senator PAUL A. SARLO
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Zwicker
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to award summer tuition aid grants in summer 2024.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning student financial assistance and amending P.L.2023, c.34.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.2023, c.34 (C.18A:71B-20a) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. For the summer 2023 [semester] and summer 2024 semester sonly, the authority shall award summer tuition aid grants for eligible students pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71B-20. A summer tuition aid grant shall be applied toward the tuition costs outside of the academic year, as defined in N.J.S.18A:71B-4. The receipt of a summer tuition aid grant shall not: (1) reduce the amount of a tuition aid grant awarded to the student during the academic year; (2) be included when determining the student's maximum tuition aid grant awards pursuant to subsection b. of this section; or (3) otherwise adversely affect the student's eligibility for an award under this chapter.
b. A summer tuition aid grant shall be prorated against the full-time tuition aid grant awarded in the preceding semester as follows: an eligible student enrolled with six to eight credits shall receive one-half of the value of a full-time award, and an eligible student enrolled with nine to 11 credits shall receive three-quarters of a full-time award.
c. Summer tuition aid grants awarded for the summer 2023 semester pursuant to this section shall be funded by the appropriation made to the authority pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2023, c.34 and any additional amounts as may be required from the unexpended balance of funds previously awarded for tuition aid grants as of the effective date of P.L.2023, c.34 (C.18A:71B-20 et al.). The Legislature may award funds in addition to those appropriated to the authority pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2023, c.34 by a separate line item.
d. Summer tuition aid grants awarded for the summer 2024 semester pursuant to this section shall be funded by any amounts as may be required from the unexpended balance of funds appropriated in fiscal year 2024 for the purpose of providing tuition aid grants in the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters. The Legislature may appropriate additional funds to the authority as may be necessary to fund summer tuition aid grants awarded for the summer 2024 semester pursuant to this section by a separate line item.
(cf: P.L.2023, c.34, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to award summer tuition aid grants for eligible students in the summer 2024 semester.
Under current law, a student may be eligible for a summer tuition aid grant in the summer 2023 semester only, provided that: the student is enrolled in six or more credit hours in the summer term; the courses for which the summer tuition aid grant is to be applied are in the same undergraduate program at the same institution in which the student was enrolled during the fall and spring semesters of the preceding academic year; and the courses for which the summer tuition aid grant is to be applied may be credited towards the student’s graduation or academic major requirements.
The bill amends current law to extend summer tuition aid grants to the summer 2024 semester. The bill also stipulates that summer 2024 grants are to be funded by any amounts as may be required from the unexpended balance of funds previously awarded for tuition aid grants. Finally, the bill permits the Legislature to appropriate additional funds for the summer 2024 grants by a separate line item.