05 LC 33
0531
Senate
Bill 43
By:
Senators Wiles of the 37th and Douglas of the 17th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, so as to
establish the Georgia HERO (Helping Educate Reservist Offspring) Scholarship; to
provide for definitions; to provide for scholarship grants; to provide for
application procedures; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for
related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Part
3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, is amended by
adding immediately after Subpart 10 a new Subpart 10A to read as
follows:
"Subpart
10A
20-3-485.
As
used in this subpart, the term:
(1)
'Approved school' means a school which is a unit of the University System of
Georgia or a branch of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult
Education.
(2)
'Eligible student' means a person 25 years of age or younger who has been a
resident of this state for a period of at least 12 months immediately prior to
the date of registration in an approved school, who remains a citizen of the
state while receiving funds under this subpart, and who is a child of a member
of the Georgia National Guard as such term is defined in Code Section 38-2-3 or
of a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States,
which member has completed at least one qualifying term of service.
(3)
'Georgia HERO Scholarship' means a Georgia Helping Educate Reservist Offspring
Scholarship grant as provided for in Code Section 20-3-486.
(4)
'Qualifying term of service' means deployment overseas to a location or
locations outside of the United States and its territories for active service
for a period of 365 days, such service occurring on or after January 1,
2006.
20-3-486.
There
is granted to each eligible student attending an approved school a Georgia HERO
Scholarship grant in the sum of $2,000.00 per academic year for each qualifying
term of service of such student´s parent. No person shall be eligible to
receive grant assistance provided under this subpart in excess of $8,000.00.
Grant assistance to eligible students under this subpart shall be payable during
the period of a summer school quarter or semester. The payment of grants to
eligible students under this subpart shall be contingent upon the appropriation
of funds by the General Assembly for the purposes of this subpart in annual
appropriations Acts of the General Assembly.
20-3-487.
(a)
Any person meeting the conditions of this subpart may apply to the authority for
a grant. Such application shall be submitted in writing on forms prescribed by
the authority for such purpose. The applicant shall furnish such information as
may be required by the authority for determination of eligibility for the grant.
The authority shall approve grant renewals only upon receipt of the
recipient´s application therefor and upon a finding that the recipient has
successfully completed the work of the preceding school period and presents
evidence that he or she is a student in good standing, that he or she remains a
citizen of this state, and that he or she remains otherwise qualified to receive
such grant under this subpart.
(b)
The authority is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be
necessary or convenient for administration of this program and to establish
procedures for determination of eligibility of applicants. The authority is also
authorized to establish standards and procedures for verifying the overseas
deployment service of the applicant´s
parent."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective on July 1, 2005.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.