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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

October State Legislative Update

State Legislative Update                               

October 2016

Legislative news from across the SASFAA region, prepared by your 2016-2017 SASFAA Legislative Relations Committee.

Christen Neher – SASFAA Legislative Relations Chair
Ron Gambill – TASFAA Governmental Relations Chair
Mary Kosin – NCASFAA Legislative Advisory Chair
Vanessa Fulton – GASFAA Legislative Affairs Chair
Erin Klarer – KASFAA Legislative Chair
Jennifer Epperson – AASFAA Legislative Relations Chair
Francisco Valines – FASFAA Legislative Relation Chair
Della Bays – VASFAA Government Relations Chair
Michael Moseley – MASFAA Legislative Chair
Joey Derrick – SCASFAA Legislative Relations Chair
Amy Berrier – SASFAA Past President

 
Alabama

U.S. Secretary of Education, John King, joins Governor Robert Bentley on visit to Limestone Prison:



Alabama Community College Merges Continue:


 

Tennessee

Tennessee Achieves, a partnering organization to the Tennessee Promise program, is seeking 9,000 mentors to work with high school students from the class of 2017.  Mentors serve as a resource for first generation college students seeking to participate in the Tennessee Promise program.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the Board of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation met and adopted changes to the rules for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship and the Ned McWherter Scholars Program to increase participation and simplify the process for students.  Additionally, the Board approved the Operating Budget Request for 2017-2018.

 

Kentucky

Revenue from the Kentucky Lottery funds the three largest and most well-known grant and scholarship programs in our state: The merit-based Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship or KEES, and two need-based programs, the College Access Program (CAP) and the Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG). While the KEES program will not be affected by the early FAFSA application period, CAP and KTG are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis with the FAFSA serving as the only application. Last week two media events were sponsored by the Kentucky Lottery in the Louisville and Lexington TV markets, as well as through print and social media, to gain awareness of the October 1 FAFSA date. Officials from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority gave advice on using 2015 tax information, creating unique usernames and passwords, as well as other helpful tips for students and families when completing their applications.  Until a recent legislative change, the Kentucky Lottery was prohibited from advertising that their revenue funded state education programs. Since that law has been repealed, however, the Kentucky Lottery has become a great partner in advocacy and awareness for student financial aid.

Georgia

REACH Signing Day – September 20th, 2016

The REACH (Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen) program was launched by Governor Deal in 2012 and is administrated by the Georgia Student Finance Authority. School systems partner with REACH and identity academically promising, low-income eighth grade students to receive the REACH scholarships. The students are paired with a mentor and an academic coach through high school and upon high school graduation they are awarded up to a $10,000 scholarship to be used at a Georgia HOPE-eligible two or four year college. On September 20th GSFC announced that 353 Georgia students became REACH Scholars bringing the total Scholar participants to over 680 in 69 participating school districts. This year’s signing day REACH launched a pilot program in partnership with the Division of Family and Children Services to bring the REACH program to 30 foster youth students. “The REACH program is a strategic investment in our students as well as our state, opening doors for youth in Georgia who may not otherwise be able to afford postsecondary education, “ said Deal. “The Scholars who signed contracts today and among Georgia’s most promising students and this commitment will help them attend college and achieve their dreams.”

 

Mississippi

The Mississippi Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance Board voted on September 19th to request the Legislature repeal nine programs it considers “small, ineffective, outdated or misplaced state-supported Student Financial Aid programs.”  The financial assistance board’s recommendations will be considered by the Legislature during its 2017 session.

Currently, the state authorizes 37 different state financial aid programs. Three of those programs, the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant, the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant and the Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students, account for 76 percent of the funds awarded to students each year. The remaining 34 programs, which include the 10 considered by the board Monday, account for only 24 percent.

Source and list of programs recommended for repeal can be found here: 
https://mississippitoday.org/2016/09/19/student-financial-aid-programs-may-be-terminated/

MS Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance Board meetings and minutes:
http://riseupms.com/state-aid/mississippi-postsecondary-education-financial-assistance-board/

 

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