SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4056 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Scott VanSingel
Senate Committee: Education and Career Readiness
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 313 of 1966, which awards tuition grants to resident students, to allow a student who was enrolled as an undergraduate during the 2020 spring term and the 2020-2021 academic year to be eligible for a grant of tuition and fees for up to 12 semesters, or its equivalent in trimesters, or its equivalent as determined by the Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority for less than full-time students.
Under the Act, upon application of an eligible resident student who is registered in an independent nonprofit college or university in Michigan, the Authority must grant an amount as provided for under the Act for each semester of attendance. A student is not eligible for a grant for tuition and fees for more than 10 semesters of undergraduate education (or its equivalent in trimesters or its equivalent as determined by the Authority for less than full-time students), for more than six semesters of graduate education (or its equivalent in trimesters), or for more than eight semesters in dental education (or its equivalent in trimesters).
Under the bill, a student who was enrolled as an undergraduate during the 2020 spring term and the 2020-2021 academic year would be eligible for a grant of tuition and fees for up to 12 semesters of undergraduate education, or its equivalent in trimesters, or its equivalent as determined by the Authority for less than full-time students.
MCL 390.993 Legislative Analyst: Dana Adams
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill itself would have a neutral fiscal impact on State and local units of government, but likely would increase the number of students who qualified for the Michigan Tuition Grant (MTG). The bill would offer two additional semesters of MTG eligibility to students enrolled at a private college or university for the Spring 2020 semester or 2020-21 academic year. This change generally would increase the number of students eligible to receive the MTG.
Basic arithmetic dictates that an increase in the number of students receiving the scholarship would increase the cost of the grant to the State; however, absent an increase in appropriations for the program, any costs in excess of appropriations ($42.0 million for fiscal year 2020-21) would be eliminated through existing statutory authority that allows Treasury to prorate MTG awards if the awards will exceed total appropriations for the program.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.