AN ACT CONCERNING GRADUATE PROGRAMS AT CHARTER OAK STATE COLLEGE, THE KIRKLYN M. KERR GRANT PROGRAM AND VETERAN TUITION WAIVERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 10a-143 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(c) There shall continue to be a Board for State Academic Awards which shall be an independent constituent unit of the state system of higher education with authority to grant undergraduate and graduate credits and degrees on the basis of (1) examinations, (2) courses offered by Charter Oak State College, and (3) other forms of evaluation and validation of learning including transfer of credit. Said board is authorized to use the term "Charter Oak State College" on diplomas and other documents and utterances to affirm the status of the board as a degree-granting institution of higher education. It shall be the responsibility of the board to serve the interest of all Connecticut residents by providing open access to academic credentials which are based on a consensus of professional judgment. The purpose of such credentials shall be to identify and give recognition to higher learning acquired by individuals through independent study, work experience and programs of noncollegiate educational activity.
Sec. 2. Subsection (e) of section 10a-143 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(e) (1) The Board for State Academic Awards shall develop and implement programs to improve opportunities in higher education through alternative modes of service, including, but not limited to, guidance and information services, registration and validation services, examination and degree-granting services, technological delivery systems, and projects of research and development. With respect to its own operation the board may appoint and remove an executive director, who shall be the chief academic and administrative officer, and a professional academic staff. The board may determine the size of the academic staff and the duties, terms, and conditions of employment of said director and staff subject to personnel guidelines established by the Board of Governors of Higher Education in consultation with the Board for State Academic Awards. The board shall establish through appointments on an adjunct basis a faculty of consulting examiners to make recommendations as to requirements and standards of the board's programs and to make recommendations for the award of academic undergraduate and graduate credits and degrees. Persons serving as members of the faculty of consulting examiners shall have appropriate professional qualifications as determined by the board and may hold professional appointments in active status at accredited institutions of postsecondary or higher learning. Within the limit of appropriations, the board shall fix the compensation of persons serving with adjunct appointment as members of the faculty of consulting examiners. The board shall confer such undergraduate and graduate certificates and degrees as are appropriate to programs of postsecondary and higher learning and in accordance with the recommendations of the board's faculty of consulting examiners on the basis of (A) examinations, (B) courses offered by Charter Oak State College, and (C) other forms of validation and evaluation of learning, including transfer of credit. The board shall assist public institutions of higher education in establishing and implementing procedures to award college credits pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(2) The Board for State Academic Awards shall develop a mission statement which shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements: (A) The educational needs of, and constituencies served by the board; (B) the degrees offered by the board; and (C) the role and scope of the programs offered by the board. The board shall submit the mission statement to the Board of Governors of Higher Education for review and approval in accordance with the provisions of section 10a-6.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2009) The program established by the Department of Higher Education to provide grants to assist residents of this state to pursue degrees in veterinary medicine shall be known as the Kirklyn M. Kerr grant program.
Sec. 4. Section 10a-77 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(a) Subject to the provisions of section 10a-26, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall fix fees for tuition at the regional community-technical colleges and shall fix fees for such other purposes as the board deems necessary at the regional community-technical colleges, and may make refunds to the same.
(b) The Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall establish and administer a fund to be known as the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and, upon request by the board and with an annual review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits and workers' compensation applicable to the community-technical colleges pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the Comptroller, and all tuition revenue received by the regional community-technical colleges in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student fees or related charges; the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business enterprises, gifts and donations; federal funds and grants for purposes other than research, and all receipts derived from the conduct by the colleges of their education extension programs and summer school sessions shall be credited to said fund but shall be allocated to the central office and institutional operating accounts which shall be established and maintained for the central office and each community-technical college. If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management disapproves such transfer, the secretary may require the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the board of trustees. The board shall establish an equitable policy for allocation of appropriations from general revenues of the state, fringe benefits transferred from the Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited in the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. At the beginning of each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and transfer, in accordance with said policy, moneys for expenditure in such institutional operating accounts, exclusive of amounts retained for central office operations and reasonable reserves for future distribution. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection [(e)] (f) of this section shall be charged to the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by operating funds and costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of community-technical colleges.
(c) Commencing December 1, 1984, and thereafter [within] not later than sixty days [of] after the close of each quarter, the board of trustees shall submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and the Office of Policy and Management, through the Board of Governors of Higher Education, a report on the actual expenditures of the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund containing such relevant information as the Board of Governors of Higher Education may require.
(d) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at any of the regional community-technical colleges (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission to such institution and is a resident of Connecticut at the time such child is accepted for admission to such institution, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, for any veteran having served in time of war, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or who served in either a combat or combat support role in the invasion of Grenada, October 25, 1983, to December 15, 1983, the invasion of Panama, December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990, or the peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, September 29, 1982, to March 30, 1984, who has been accepted for admission to such institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran is accepted for admission to such institution, (3) for any resident of Connecticut sixty-two years of age or older, provided, at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than those persons eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which such person intends to enroll and there is space available in such course after accommodating all such students, (4) for any student attending the Connecticut State Police Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement program at said academy offered in coordination with a regional community-technical college which accredits courses taken in such program, (5) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate degree-granting program, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (7) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of this state, (8) for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (9) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans described in subdivision (2) of this subsection and members of the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses at regional community-technical colleges. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used in this subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one year.
(e) (1) If any veteran described in subsection (d) of this section has applied for federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at any of the regional community-technical colleges for such veteran in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection. If any such veteran certifies to said board that such veteran's application for such federal educational assistance has been denied or withdrawn, said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(2) (A) For purposes of this subdivision, "veteran tuition benefit" means the portion of federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 to be paid to a regional community-technical college on behalf of a veteran that represents payment for tuition. Such portion shall be calculated by multiplying (i) the total amount of such federal educational assistance to be paid to a regional community-technical college on behalf of such veteran by (ii) an amount obtained by dividing (I) the actual tuition charged by such college to such veteran by (II) the sum of the actual tuition and fees charged by such college to such veteran.
(B) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in excess of the veteran tuition benefit at any of the regional community-technical colleges for such veteran.
[(e)] (f) Said board shall set aside from its anticipated regional community-technical college tuition revenue, an amount not less than that required by the board of governors' tuition policy established under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6. Such funds shall be used to provide tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment for residents enrolled in regional community-technical colleges as full or part-time matriculated students in a degree-granting program, or enrolled in a precollege remedial program, who demonstrate substantial financial need. Said board may also set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue an additional amount equal to one per cent of said tuition revenue for financial assistance for students who would not otherwise be eligible for financial assistance but who do have a financial need as determined by the college in accordance with this subsection. In determining such financial need, the college shall exclude the value of equity in the principal residence of the student's parents or legal guardians, or in the student's principal residence if the student is not considered to be a dependent of his parents or legal guardians and shall assess the earnings of a dependent student at the rate of thirty per cent.
[(f)] (g) The Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund shall be reimbursed for the amount by which the tuition waivers granted under subsection (d) of this section exceed five per cent of tuition revenue through an annual state appropriation. The board of trustees shall request such an appropriation and said appropriation shall be based upon an estimate of tuition revenue loss using tuition rates in effect for the fiscal year in which such appropriation will apply.
[(g)] (h) Said board of trustees shall allow any student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester to enroll in any course for which such student had remitted tuition but which was not completed due to active duty status. Such course reenrollment shall be offered to any qualifying student for a period not exceeding four years after the date of release from active duty without additional tuition, student fee or related charge, except if such student has been fully reimbursed for the tuition, fees and charges for the course that was not completed.
Sec. 5. Section 10a-99 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(a) Subject to the provisions of section 10a-26, the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System shall fix fees for tuition and shall fix fees for such other purposes as the board deems necessary at the university, and may make refunds of the same.
(b) The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System shall establish and administer a fund to be known as the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and upon request by the Connecticut State University System and with the annual review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the State Comptroller and all tuition revenue received by the Connecticut State University System in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student fees or related charges, the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business enterprises, gifts and donations, federal funds and grants, subject to the provisions of sections 10a-98 to 10a-98g, inclusive, and all receipts derived from the conduct by a state university of its education extension program and its summer school session shall be credited to said fund but shall be allocated to the central office and institutional operating accounts which shall be established and maintained for the central office and each state university. Any such gifts and donations, federal funds and grants for purposes of research shall be allocated to separate accounts within such central office and institutional operating accounts. If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management disapproves such transfer, he may require the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the university. The board of trustees shall establish an equitable policy for allocation of appropriations from general revenues of the state, fringe benefits transferred from the State Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited in the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund. At the beginning of each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and transfer, in accordance with said policy, moneys for expenditure in such institutional operating accounts, exclusive of amounts retained for central office operations and reasonable reserves for future distribution. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection [(e)] (f) of this section shall be charged to the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund and costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of the Connecticut State University System.
(c) Commencing December 1, 1984, and thereafter [within] not later than sixty days [of] after the close of each quarter, the board of trustees shall submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and the Office of Policy and Management, through the Board of Governors of Higher Education, a report on the actual expenditures of the Connecticut State University System Operating Fund containing such relevant information as the Board of Governors of Higher Education may require.
(d) Said board shall waive the payment of tuition fees at the Connecticut State University System (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission to such institution and is a resident of Connecticut at the time such child is accepted for admission to such institution, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, for any veteran having served in time of war, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or who served in either a combat or combat support role in the invasion of Grenada, October 25, 1983, to December 15, 1983, the invasion of Panama, December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990, or the peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, September 29, 1982, to March 30, 1984, who has been accepted for admission to such institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran is accepted for admission to such institution, (3) for any resident of Connecticut sixty-two years of age or older who has been accepted for admission to such institution, provided (A) such person is enrolled in a degree-granting program, or (B) at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than those persons eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which such person intends to enroll and there is space available in such course after accommodating all such students, (4) for any student attending the Connecticut Police Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement program at said academy offered in coordination with the university which accredits courses taken in such program, (5) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (7) for any resident of this state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of the state, (8) for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (9) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans described in subdivision (2) of this subsection and members of the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses at Connecticut state universities. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used in this subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one year.
(e) (1) If any veteran described in subsection (d) of this section has applied for federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at the Connecticut State University System for such veteran in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection. If any such veteran certifies to said board that such veteran's application for such federal educational assistance has been denied or withdrawn, said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(2) (A) For purposes of this subdivision, "veteran tuition benefit" means the portion of federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 to be paid to the Connecticut State University System on behalf of a veteran that represents payment for tuition. Such portion shall be calculated by multiplying (i) the total amount of such federal educational assistance to be paid to the Connecticut State University System on behalf of such veteran by (ii) an amount obtained by dividing (I) the actual tuition charged by the Connecticut State University System to such veteran by (II) the sum of the actual tuition and fees charged by the Connecticut State University System to such veteran.
(B) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in excess of the veteran tuition benefit at the Connecticut State University System for such veteran.
[(e)] (f) Said board shall set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue, an amount not less than that required by the board of governors' tuition policy established under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6. Such funds shall be used to provide tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment for any undergraduate or graduate student who is enrolled as a full or part-time matriculated student in a degree-granting program, or enrolled in a precollege remedial program, and who demonstrates substantial financial need. Said board may also set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue an additional amount equal to one per cent of said tuition revenue for financial assistance for students who would not otherwise be eligible for financial assistance but who do have a financial need as determined by the university in accordance with this subsection. In determining such financial need, the university shall exclude the value of equity in the principal residence of the student's parents or legal guardians, or in the student's principal residence if the student is not considered to be a dependent of his parents or legal guardians and shall assess the earnings of a dependent student at the rate of thirty per cent.
[(f)] (g) The Connecticut State University System Operating Fund shall be reimbursed for the amount by which the tuition waivers granted under subsection (d) of this section exceed two and one-half per cent of tuition revenue through an annual state appropriation. The board of trustees shall request such an appropriation and said appropriation shall be based upon an estimate of tuition revenue loss using tuition rates in effect for the fiscal year in which such appropriation will apply.
[(g)] (h) Said board of trustees shall allow any student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester to enroll in any course for which such student had remitted tuition but which was not completed due to active duty status. Such course reenrollment shall be offered to any qualifying student for a period not exceeding four years after the date of release from active duty without additional tuition, student fee or related charge, except if such student has been fully reimbursed for the tuition, fees and charges for the course that was not completed.
Sec. 6. Section 10a-105 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(a) Subject to the provisions of sections 10a-8 and 10a-26, the Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall fix fees for tuition and shall fix fees for such other purposes as the board deems necessary at The University of Connecticut, and may make refunds of the same.
(b) The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall establish and administer a fund to be known as The University of Connecticut Operating Fund, and in addition, may establish a Special External Gift Fund, and an endowment fund, as defined in section 10a-109c, and such other funds as may be established pursuant to subdivision (13) of subsection (a) of section 10a-109d. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and, upon request by the university and with an annual review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits and workers' compensation applicable to the university pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the Comptroller, and all tuition revenue received by the university in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, income from student fees or related charges, the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business enterprises, gifts and donations, federal funds and grants for purposes other than research and all receipts derived from the conduct by The University of Connecticut of its education extension program and its summer school session, except funds received by The University of Connecticut Health Center, shall be deposited in said operating fund. If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management disapproves such transfer, he may require the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the university. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection [(e)] (g) of this section, except the cost of waiving or remitting tuition for students enrolled in the schools of medicine or dental medicine, shall be charged to said fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by said fund costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of The University of Connecticut.
(c) The Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall establish and administer a fund to be known as The University of Connecticut Health Center Operating Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state except the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services and the appropriations for fringe benefits pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, all tuition revenue received by the health center in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, income from student fees or related charges, proceeds from auxiliary and business enterprises, gifts and donations, federal funds and grants for purposes other than research and other income relative to these activities shall be deposited in said fund. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection [(f)] (g) of this section for students enrolled in the schools of medicine or dental medicine shall be charged to said fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by said fund costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of The University of Connecticut Health Center.
(d) Commencing December 1, 1981, and thereafter [within] not later than sixty days [of] after the close of each quarter, the board of trustees shall submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and the Office of Policy and Management, through the Board of Governors of Higher Education, a report on the actual expenditures of The University of Connecticut Operating Fund and The University of Connecticut Health Center Operating Fund containing such relevant information as the Board of Governors of Higher Education may require.
(e) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition fees at The University of Connecticut (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission to The University of Connecticut and is a resident of Connecticut at the time such child is accepted for admission to said institution, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (f) of this section, for any veteran having served in time of war, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or who served in either a combat or combat support role in the invasion of Grenada, October 25, 1983, to December 15, 1983, the invasion of Panama, December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990, or the peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, September 29, 1982, to March 30, 1984, who has been accepted for admission to said institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran is accepted for admission to said institution, (3) for any resident of Connecticut sixty-two years of age or older who has been accepted for admission to said institution, provided (A) such person is enrolled in a degree-granting program, or (B) at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than those persons eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which such person intends to enroll and there is space available in such course after accommodating all such students, (4) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for admission to said institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program, (5) for any dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the line of duty, (6) for any resident of the state who is the dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of the state, (7) for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (8) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans described in subdivision (2) of this subsection and members of the National Guard described in subdivision (4) of this subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses at The University of Connecticut. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used in this subsection, "domiciled in this state" includes domicile for less than one year.
(f) (1) If any veteran described in subsection (e) of this section has applied for federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at The University of Connecticut for such veteran in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection. If any such veteran certifies to said board that such veteran's application for such federal educational assistance has been denied or withdrawn, said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(2) (A) For purposes of this subdivision, "veteran tuition benefit" means the portion of federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 to be paid to The University of Connecticut on behalf of a veteran that represents payment for tuition. Such portion shall be calculated by multiplying (i) the total amount of such federal educational assistance to be paid to The University of Connecticut on behalf of such veteran by (ii) an amount obtained by dividing (I) the actual tuition charged by The University of Connecticut to such veteran by (II) the sum of the actual tuition and fees charged by The University of Connecticut to such veteran.
(B) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in excess of the veteran tuition benefit at The University of Connecticut for such veteran.
[(f)] (g) Said board shall set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue, an amount not less than that required by the board of governors' tuition policy established under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6. Such funds shall be used to provide tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment for any undergraduate, graduate or professional student who is enrolled as a full or part-time matriculated student in a degree-granting program, or enrolled in a precollege remedial program, and who demonstrates substantial financial need. Said board may also set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue an additional amount equal to one per cent of said tuition revenue for financial assistance for students who would not otherwise be eligible for financial assistance but who do have a financial need as determined by the university in accordance with this subsection. In determining such financial need, the university shall exclude the value of equity in the principal residence of the student's parents or legal guardians, or in the student's principal residence if the student is not considered to be a dependent of his parents or legal guardians and shall assess the earnings of a dependent student at the rate of thirty per cent.
[(g)] (h) The University of Connecticut Operating Fund shall be reimbursed for the amount by which tuition waivers granted under subsection (e) of this section exceed two and one-half per cent of tuition revenue through an annual state appropriation. The board of trustees shall request such an appropriation and said appropriation shall be based upon an estimate of tuition revenue loss using tuition rates in effect for the fiscal year in which such appropriation will apply.
[(h)] (i) Said board shall grant remission or waiver of tuition for graduate assistants at the university. Assistantship payments to graduate assistants shall not be considered salaries and wages under the provisions of section 3-119, and shall be paid according to a schedule prescribed by the university and approved by the State Comptroller.
[(i)] (j) Said board of trustees shall allow any student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester to enroll in any course for which such student had remitted tuition but which was not completed due to active duty status. Such course reenrollment shall be offered to any qualifying student for a period not exceeding four years after the date of release from active duty without additional tuition, student fee or related charge, except if such student has been fully reimbursed for the tuition, fees and charges for the course that was not completed.
Sec. 7. Section 10a-16 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
The Board of Governors of Higher Education shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 for determining financial need for tuition waivers granted pursuant to subsection [(e)] (f) of section 10a-77, as amended by this act, subsection (f) of section 10a-99, as amended by this act, and subsection [(f)] (g) of section 10a-105, as amended by this act. Such regulations shall prohibit the designation of graduate students as graduate assistants solely to provide tuition and fee waivers.
Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 10a-164a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(a) The Board of Governors of Higher Education shall annually request an appropriation to the Department of Higher Education equal to the amount required, for the fiscal year two years prior, for tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment under subsection [(e)] (f) of section 10a-77, as amended by this act, subsection [(e)] (f) of section 10a-99, as amended by this act, and subsection [(f)] (g) of section 10a-105, as amended by this act. The department shall allocate any such appropriation to The University of Connecticut, each of the Connecticut state universities and each of the regional community-technical colleges in accordance with a formula approved by the Board of Governors of Higher Education. The formula shall take into account the amount of federal student aid received by students at each institution. The amounts allocated shall be used to provide grants for educational expenses and student employment for residents of the state who demonstrate substantial financial need and are enrolled as full-time or part-time matriculated students in a degree-granting program or a precollege remedial program. For each fiscal year a minimum of ten per cent of the total amount of state student financial aid appropriated to each institution which exceeds the amount received by each institution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1987, shall be used for student financial aid for needy minority students in accordance with the board's strategic plan for racial and ethnic diversity under section 10a-11. For each fiscal year a minimum of five per cent of the total amount of state student financial aid appropriated to each institution which exceeds the amount received by each institution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1988, shall be used for on-campus or off-campus community service work-study placements. Individual awards shall not exceed a student's calculated financial need as determined on the basis of a needs analysis system approved by the United States Department of Education. Financial aid provided to Connecticut residents under this program shall be designated as a grant from the Connecticut aid to public college students grant program.
Sec. 9. Subsection (b) of section 10a-170c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2009):
(b) Students selected as graduate assistants pursuant to section 10a-170b shall receive ten thousand dollars annually provided the student shall be employed by the institution in a teaching or research capacity for not less than fifty per cent of full-time, as defined by the institution. The Commissioner of Higher Education shall pay (1) to each public and private institution under the program ten thousand dollars annually for each such student, and (2) to each public institution under the program fifteen hundred dollars annually for each such student to support the institution's costs associated with the coverage provided in section 5-259, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of section 10a-105, as amended by this act, and subsection [(g)] (b) of section 10a-99, as amended by this act.
Approved June 30, 2009