Bill Text: OH HB209 | 2013-2014 | 130th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: To create the Finish Fund and the Finish Reserve Fund to provide grants to students who are nearing completion of their bachelor's degrees and display financial need or hardship and to make an appropriation.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-06-18 - To Finance and Appropriations [HB209 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2013-HB209-Introduced.html
As Introduced

130th General Assembly
Regular Session
2013-2014
H. B. No. 209


Representative Ramos 

Cosponsors: Representatives Antonio, Foley, Driehaus, Lundy, Stinziano, Barborak, Phillips, Reece, Hagan, R., Patmon, Rosenberger, Clyde, McGregor, Fedor 



A BILL
To enact sections 3333.27 and 3333.271 of the Revised 1
Code to create the Finish Fund and the Finish 2
Reserve Fund to provide grants to students who are 3
nearing completion of their bachelor's degrees and 4
display financial need or hardship and to make an 5
appropriation.6


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1.  That sections 3333.27 and 3333.271 of the Revised 7
Code be enacted to read as follows:8

       Sec. 3333.27.  (A) As used in this section:9

       (1) "Eligible student" means an undergraduate student who:10

       (a) Is enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at a state 11
institution of higher education or a nonprofit institution issued 12
a certificate of authorization under Chapter 1713. of the Revised 13
Code;14

       (b) Is a resident of Ohio, as defined by the chancellor of 15
the Ohio board of regents under section 3333.31 of the Revised 16
Code;17

       (c) Is making satisfactory academic progress, as defined by 18
the financial aid office, or the equivalent, at the institution in 19
which the student is enrolled;20

       (d) Has attained and maintains a cumulative grade point 21
average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent;22

       (e) Has declared an academic major or program for which the 23
student earns credit;24

       (f)(i) If the student is enrolled in a bachelor's degree 25
program, would be considered a junior or senior as determined by 26
the credits completed by the student toward the student's declared 27
degree program;28

       (ii) If the student is enrolled in an associate degree 29
program, the student has completed fifty per cent or more of the 30
coursework required for the student's declared academic program.31

       (g) Displays financial need, based on the United States 32
department of education's method of determining financial need or 33
based on demonstrated financial hardship, as determined by the 34
chancellor.35

       (2) "State institution of higher education" has the same 36
meaning as in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.37

       (B) The chancellor shall establish and administer the finish 38
fund to provide grants to eligible students nearing completion of 39
their bachelor's degrees. The chancellor shall transfer any funds 40
not awarded under this section in a fiscal year to the finish 41
reserve fund created in section 3333.271 of the Revised Code to 42
use for awarding grants in subsequent fiscal years.43

       (C) Not later than one hundred eighty days after the 44
effective date of this section, the chancellor shall adopt a 45
policy by which to solicit, accept, and review applications for 46
the finish fund. The policy shall include, but not be limited to, 47
all of the following:48

       (1) A method of determining the amount of each grant awarded 49
to an eligible student. In calculating that amount, the chancellor 50
shall consider the student's remaining instructional and general 51
charges or tuition and room and board or off-campus living 52
expenses, as certified or, in the case of off-campus living 53
expenses, as determined by the institution, after the student's 54
other funding sources are applied to the instructional and general 55
charges or tuition and room and board or off-campus living 56
expenses for the undergraduate program.57

       (2) A method for paying the grant to the eligible student 58
through the institution in which the student is enrolled.59

       (3) Notwithstanding division (C)(1) of this section, the 60
institution in which a student is enrolled may disburse any 61
surplus amount remaining in a student's account, after applying 62
the grant to the instructional and general charges or tuition owed 63
by a student, to the student to be used for books, room and board, 64
or any other costs related to attendance.65

       The chancellor may adopt additional program guidelines and 66
qualifications for the finish fund, so long as those guidelines 67
and qualifications help to identify students most at risk of 68
leaving an institution before completing a degree program due to 69
financial hardship and students most likely to complete a degree 70
program with additional funding.71

       (D) If, for any academic year, the amounts available for 72
support of the program are inadequate to provide grants to all 73
eligible students, the chancellor shall give preference in the 74
awarding of grants as follows:75

       (1) First, to eligible students who are considered seniors in 76
a bachelor degree program who have applied for and, if received, 77
used the entirety of all of the following, but are still unable to 78
meet the cost of attending the institution in which the student is 79
enrolled, including room and board or off-campus living expenses, 80
as determined by the institution's financial aid office:81

       (a) A Pell grant or any other grant awarded by the federal 82
government based on financial need;83

       (b) The Ohio college opportunity grant under section 3333.122 84
of the Revised Code;85

       (c) Any grants or scholarships awarded to the student and 86
disbursed by the institution of higher education in which the 87
student is enrolled;88

       (d) A federal subsidized loan.89

       (2) Second, to eligible students who are considered juniors 90
in a bachelor degree program who have applied for and, if 91
received, used the entirety of funding sources listed in divisions 92
(D)(1)(a) to (d) of this section, but are still unable to meet the 93
cost of attending the institution in which the student is 94
enrolled, including room and board, as determined by the 95
institution's financial aid office;96

       (3) Third, to eligible students who are considered seniors in 97
a bachelor degree program who have applied for and, if received, 98
used the entirety of the funding sources listed in divisions 99
(D)(1)(a) to (c) of this section, but are still unable to meet the 100
cost of attending the institution in which the student is 101
enrolled, including room and board, as determined by the 102
institution's financial aid office;103

       (4) Fourth, to eligible students who are considered juniors 104
in a bachelor degree program who have applied for and, if 105
received, used the entirety of the funding sources listed in 106
divisions (D)(1)(a) to (c) of this section, but are still unable 107
to meet the cost of attending the institution in which the student 108
is enrolled, including room and board, as determined by the 109
institution's financial aid office;110

       (5) Fifth, to eligible students who have completed fifty per 111
cent or more of the coursework required for the student's declared 112
academic program for an associate degree who have applied for and, 113
if received, used the entirety of the funding sources listed in 114
divisions (D)(1)(a) to (c) of this section, but are still unable 115
to meet the cost of attending the institution in which the student 116
is enrolled, including room and board, as determined by the 117
institution's financial aid office.118

       In prioritizing grants under this section, the chancellor 119
shall not reduce the dollar value of grants awarded to increase 120
the number of eligible students who receive a grant.121

       (E) The chancellor shall begin accepting and reviewing 122
applications and awarding grants under this section not later than 123
one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section.124

       (F) The chancellor shall require state institutions of higher 125
education and nonprofit institutions issued a certificate of 126
authorization under Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code to report 127
all of the following at the end of each academic year:128

       (1) The number of students enrolled in the institution who 129
receive grants under this section; 130

       (2) The average dollar amount of grants, and the lowest and 131
highest dollar amount of awards granted under this section;132

       (3) The number of students who receive grants under this 133
section who complete their academic programs;134

       (4) The number of students who receive a grant under this 135
section who fail to complete their academic programs, 136
disaggregated by the reason, including, but not limited to, 137
dropping out of school and failure;138

       (5) The number of students still enrolled in the institution 139
and taking courses, but have neither completed nor failed to earn 140
their degrees.141

       Sec. 3333.271.  The finish reserve fund is hereby established 142
in the state treasury. After the end of each fiscal year, the 143
chancellor of the Ohio board of regents shall transfer any funds 144
remaining after awarding grants under section 3333.27 of the 145
Revised Code into the finish reserve fund from which the 146
chancellor may award future grants under that section.147

       Section 2.  All items in this section are hereby appropriated 148
as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the 149
credit of the designated fund. For all appropriations made in this 150
act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2014 and those 151
in the second column are for fiscal year 2015. The appropriations 152
made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made 153
for the FY 2014-FY 2015 biennium.154

Appropriations

BOR BOARD OF REGENTS
155

General Revenue Fund156

GRF 2355XX Finish Fund $ 10,000,000 $ 10,000,000 157
TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund $ 10,000,000 $ 10,000,000 158
TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $ 10,000,000 $ 10,000,000 159

       FINISH FUND160

       The foregoing appropriation item 2355XX, Finish Fund, shall 161
be used to grant financial aid awards through the Finish Fund 162
Program, pursuant to section 3333.27 of the Revised Code.163

       At the end of each fiscal year, the Chancellor of the Board 164
of Regents shall certify to the Director of Budget and Management 165
the unencumbered, unexpended balance in appropriation item 2355XX, 166
Finish Fund. Upon receipt of the certification, the Director of 167
Budget and Management shall transfer cash in an amount equal to 168
the amount certified from the General Revenue Fund to the Finish 169
Reserve Fund (Fund XXXX). The Chancellor of the Board of Regents 170
shall seek Controlling Board approval to authorize additional 171
expenditures for appropriation item 2355XX, Finish Fund. Upon 172
approval of the Controlling Board, the additional amounts are 173
hereby appropriated.174

       Section 3.  Within the limits set forth in this act, the 175
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts 176
indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation 177
made in this act, and shall determine the form and manner in which 178
appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from 179
appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as 180
though made in the main operating appropriations act of the 130th 181
General Assembly.182

       The appropriations made in this act are subject to all 183
provisions of the main operating appropriations act of the 130th 184
General Assenmbly that are generally applicable to such 185
appropriations.186

feedback