08 LC 37
0636
House
Bill 1184
By:
Representatives Freeman of the
140th,
Harbin of the
118th,
Smith of the
113th,
Maddox of the
127th,
Peake of the
137th,
and others
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
authorize the Georgia Student Finance Authority to establish two pilot
educational assistance programs for collegiate sports for students with physical
disabilities; to provide for legislative intent; to provide for duration; to
provide for scholarships; to provide for eligibility; to provide for
scholarships for eligible disabled veterans; to provide for pilot criteria; to
provide for selection of pilot institution; to provide for 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 revised by
adding a new subpart to read as follows:
"Subpart
2A
20-3-360.
(a)
The General Assembly recognizes the educational, social, and employment benefits
of collegiate sports for students with physical disabilities. It is the purpose
of this subpart to establish a pilot program that will provide competitive
sports opportunities for students with physical disabilities at the collegiate
level in Georgia and create a sustainable collegiate sports program for students
with physical disabilities. This program will continue the state´s rich
tradition of successful collegiate sports programs for students that are not
disabled.
(b)
The authority is authorized to establish and administer a five-year pilot
program to provide competitive sports opportunities for students with physical
disabilities at the collegiate level and provide scholarships to student
athletes with disabilities. In order to implement the pilot program, the board
of regents shall select two state schools to be pilot institutions. The
selected institutions shall have programs in place that serve to create
meaningful social change to promote human rights for people with
disabilities.
(c)
The selected pilot institutions shall recruit high school student athletes with
disabilities for participation in the project through community based clubs and
high school programs as well as through an extensive public relations and
awareness campaign.
(d)
The program shall coordinate with the Veterans Administration and the Georgia
section of the Paralyzed Veterans of America to identify and recruit disabled
veterans who will benefit from the program.
(e)
Recruits shall meet entry requirements for the pilot institutions and the
National Collegiate Athletic Association.
(f)
The authority shall collaborate with the pilot institutions to determine the
amount of scholarship moneys offered to prospective student athletes for
participation in the disability sports program.
(g)
The pilot institutions shall strive to make the program like any other
university department of athletics program, including recruiting, signing, and
enrolling student athletes with disabilities, managing the budget, securing
coaches and trainers, securing equipment, sports wheelchairs, and training
facilities, as well as any other necessary services or equipment.
(h)
The pilot institutions may at their sole discretion contract with an independent
party recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a member of the Multi-Sport
Organizations Council (MSOC) to act as subcontractor and to partner with such
subcontractor to provide paralympic sport technical expertise and resources in
scouting, recruiting, coaching, and training of disabled athletes with a variety
of physical disabilities that may include wheelchair, blind, war-injured, and
other disabilities as well as providing sport wheelchairs, sporting equipment,
off campus practice and competition facilities, competition management, and
transportation for the respective teams and student athletes.
(i)
Each pilot institution may choose to delegate the administration of the pilot
program to a division of that institution having expertise and a record of
working toward positive social change through sport by promoting disability
rights and disability sport.
(j)
The pilot program shall strive to achieve gender equity and access to students
with various physical disabilities through its choice of sports and shall
include wheelchair basketball to compete in the collegiate division of National
Wheelchair Basketball Association and a program of cross-disability sports
sanctioned by the United States Paralympics and the United States Disability
Sport Organization.
(k)
The scope to the pilot program shall include goals of : (1) Ten full
scholarships that may be subdivided as partial scholarships consistent with
other collegiate sports; and (2) Twenty to 25 student athletes with physical
disabilities by year three of the pilot program with an emphasis upon recruiting
veterans with disabilities.
(l)(1)
The General Assembly shall conduct a review of the pilot program after the third
school year of operation.
(2)
Not later than December 31 following the end of the third year of operation of
the pilot program, the pilot institutions shall provide a report to the
Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the pilot
program, using all data obtained to analyze the success, progress, or failure of
the program and the participating student athletes. The report shall detail the
operation and cost of the pilot program and include recommendations regarding
extension, expansion, or termination of the pilot program after the initial
three-year period.
(3)
Any other corporation, organization, or association that has an interest in the
pilot program may provide a report to the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives with recommendations for improving the
program."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for the
purposes of this Act in a General Appropriations Act making specific reference
to this Act and shall become effective when funds so appropriated become
available for expenditure.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.