SB-1376, As Passed Senate, September 23, 2004                               

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                              SUBSTITUTE FOR                                    

                                                                                

                           SENATE BILL NO. 1376                                 

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1999 PA 94, entitled                                              

                                                                                

    "Michigan merit award scholarship act,"                                     

                                                                                

    by amending section 7 (MCL 390.1457), as amended by 2002 PA 736.            

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 7.  (1) The Michigan merit award scholarship program is                

                                                                                

2   established.  The board shall administer the Michigan merit award           

                                                                                

3   scholarship program.                                                        

                                                                                

4       (2) Subject to subsection (6) and to adjustment under                       

                                                                                

5   subsection (5), each student enrolled in grade 11 in or after the           

                                                                                

6   1998-1999 school year who meets the requirements of subsection              

                                                                                

7   (4)  , and subject to adjustment under subsection (5),  and this            

                                                                                

8   subsection is eligible for the award of a $2,500.00 Michigan                

                                                                                

9   merit award scholarship if the student is enrolled in an approved           

                                                                                

10  postsecondary educational institution in this state or in a                 

                                                                                

11  service academy.  , or  Subject to subsection (6) and to                    

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   adjustment under subsection (5), each student enrolled in grade             

                                                                                

2   11 in or after the 1998-1999 school year, except a student                  

                                                                                

3   described in subsection (12), who meets the requirements of                 

                                                                                

4   subsection (4) and this subsection is eligible for the award of a           

                                                                                

5   $1,000.00 Michigan merit award scholarship if the student is                

                                                                                

6   enrolled in an approved postsecondary educational institution               

                                                                                

7   outside this state other than a service academy.  , if the board            

                                                                                

8   finds  For eligibility under this subsection, the board must find           

                                                                                

9   that the student while in high school has taken the assessment              

                                                                                

10  test in the subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and             

                                                                                

11  science and  meets  met 1 of the following:                                 

                                                                                

12      (a)  Has received  Received qualifying results in each of the               

                                                                                

13  subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science.                

                                                                                

14      (b) Did not receive qualifying results in 1 or 2 of the                     

                                                                                

15  subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, but            

                                                                                

16  received an overall score in the top 25% of a nationally                    

                                                                                

17  recognized college admission examination.                                   

                                                                                

18      (c) Did not receive qualifying results in 1 or 2 of the                     

                                                                                

19  subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science, but            

                                                                                

20  received a qualifying score or scores as determined by the board            

                                                                                

21  on a nationally recognized job skills assessment test designated            

                                                                                

22  by the board.                                                               

                                                                                

23      (3) Subject to subsection (6) and to adjustment under                       

                                                                                

24  subsection (5), a student who was enrolled in grade 7 in or after           

                                                                                

25  the 1999-2000 school year and who the board finds has taken the             

                                                                                

26  assessment test in each of the subject areas while in grades 7              

                                                                                

27  and 8 is eligible for 1 of the following additional Michigan                


                                                                                

1   merit award scholarships:                                                   

                                                                                

2       (a) If the board finds that the student while in grades 7 and               

                                                                                

3   8 received qualifying results in 2 of the subject areas of                  

                                                                                

4   reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an additional                   

                                                                                

5   Michigan merit award scholarship of $250.00.                                

                                                                                

6       (b) If the board finds that the student while in grades 7 and               

                                                                                

7   8 received qualifying results in 3 of the subject areas of                  

                                                                                

8   reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an additional                   

                                                                                

9   Michigan merit award scholarship of $375.00.                                

                                                                                

10      (c) If the board finds that the student while in grades 7 and               

                                                                                

11  8 received qualifying results in all of the subject areas of                

                                                                                

12  reading, writing, mathematics, and science, an additional                   

                                                                                

13  Michigan merit award scholarship of $500.00.                                

                                                                                

14      (4) In addition to the requirements set forth in subsections                

                                                                                

15  (2) and (3), to be eligible for the award of 1 or both Michigan             

                                                                                

16  merit award scholarships under this section, the board must find            

                                                                                

17  that a student satisfies all of the following:                              

                                                                                

18      (a) The student has graduated from high school or passed the                

                                                                                

19  general educational development (GED) test or other graduate                

                                                                                

20  equivalency examination approved by the state board.                        

                                                                                

21      (b) The student graduated from high school or passed the                    

                                                                                

22  general educational development (GED) test or other graduate                

                                                                                

23  equivalency examination approved by the state board within 1 of             

                                                                                

24  the following time periods:                                                 

                                                                                

25                                                                               (i) If the student graduated from high school or passed the                         

                                                                                

26  test or examination before March 1, 2002, within the 7-year                 

                                                                                

27  period preceding the student's application to receive his or her            


                                                                                

1   Michigan merit award scholarship money.                                     

                                                                                

2       (ii) If the student graduated on or after March 1, 2002,                     

                                                                                

3   within the 4-year period preceding the date of the student's                

                                                                                

4   application to receive his or her Michigan merit award                      

                                                                                

5   scholarship money, or if the student becomes a member of the                

                                                                                

6   United States armed forces or peace corps during this 4-year                

                                                                                

7   period and serves for 4 years or less, the 4-year period is                 

                                                                                

8   extended by a period equal to the number of days the student                

                                                                                

9   served as a member of the United States armed forces or peace               

                                                                                

10  corps.  The board may also extend the 4-year period if the board            

                                                                                

11  determines that an extension is warranted because of an illness             

                                                                                

12  or disability of the student or in the student's immediate family           

                                                                                

13  or another family emergency.                                                

                                                                                

14      (c) The student is enrolled in an approved postsecondary                    

                                                                                

15  educational institution.  For students who qualify under                    

                                                                                

16  subsection (2)(c), the student is enrolled in a vocational or               

                                                                                

17  technical education program at an approved postsecondary                    

                                                                                

18  educational institution.                                                    

                                                                                

19      (d) The student has not been convicted of a felony involving                

                                                                                

20  an assault, physical injury, or death.                                      

                                                                                

21      (e) The student satisfies any additional eligibility                        

                                                                                

22  requirements established by the board.                                      

                                                                                

23      (5) In any fiscal year, the board may adjust the amount of a                

                                                                                

24  Michigan merit award scholarship available to students eligible             

                                                                                

25  under 1 or more of subsections (2), (3), and (9), based upon its            

                                                                                

26  determination of available resources and amounts appropriated,              

                                                                                

27  but the board shall not increase an amount by more than 5% in any           


                                                                                

1   fiscal year.  The board shall notify the governor, the speaker of           

                                                                                

2   the house of representatives, and the majority leader of the                

                                                                                

3   senate in writing at least 30 days before an adjustment under               

                                                                                

4   this subsection.                                                            

                                                                                

5       (6) For assessment tests administered after January 1, 2000,                

                                                                                

6   the board shall not use the assessment test to determine                    

                                                                                

7   eligibility for a Michigan merit award scholarship under this               

                                                                                

8   section for a particular year unless the board has reviewed and             

                                                                                

9   approved the assessment test before it was administered for that            

                                                                                

10  year.                                                                       

                                                                                

11      (7) The board shall provide each student written notice of                  

                                                                                

12  whether or not the student is eligible for the award of 1 or more           

                                                                                

13  Michigan merit award scholarships described in this section.  If            

                                                                                

14  the student is eligible, the written notice shall also contain              

                                                                                

15  the Michigan merit award scholarship amount for which the student           

                                                                                

16  is eligible, how the student applies for payment of Michigan                

                                                                                

17  merit award scholarship, and any other information the board                

                                                                                

18  considers necessary regarding qualification requirements or                 

                                                                                

19  conditions relating to the use of the Michigan merit award                  

                                                                                

20  scholarship.                                                                

                                                                                

21      (8) It is the intent of the legislature that the level of                   

                                                                                

22  student performance required to achieve qualifying results in a             

                                                                                

23  subject area of an assessment test remains approximately the                

                                                                                

24  same, and that the board not reduce the required level of student           

                                                                                

25  performance as a means of increasing the number of Michigan merit           

                                                                                

26  award scholarships awarded.                                                 

                                                                                

27      (9) If a student who has previously received a $1,000.00                    


    Senate Bill No. 1376 as amended September 23, 2004                          

1   Michigan merit award scholarship as a student enrolled in an                

                                                                                

2   approved postsecondary educational institution outside of this              

                                                                                

3   state other than a service academy enrolls in an approved                   

                                                                                

4   postsecondary educational institution in this state and meets the           

                                                                                

5   requirements of subsection (4), and subject to adjustment under             

                                                                                

6   subsection (5), the student is eligible for the award of an                 

                                                                                

7   additional $1,500.00 Michigan merit award scholarship.                      

                                                                                

8       (10) A pupil who does not initially receive qualifying                      

                                                                                

9   results shall be extended an opportunity to achieve the requisite           

                                                                                

10  qualifying results by taking a subsequent assessment test.                  

                                                                                

11      (11) A nonpublic school student or home school student may                  

                                                                                

12  take, and the board shall administer if requested, an assessment            

                                                                                

13  test at a site designated by the board.                                     

                                                                                

14      (12) A student who graduates from high school in the                        

                                                                                

15  2004-2005 school year and enrolls in an approved postsecondary              

                                                                                

16  educational institution outside of this state other than a                  

                                                                                

17  service academy is not eligible for the award of a $1,000.00                

                                                                                

18  Michigan merit award scholarship under subsection (2) <<in the state fiscal year that begins October 1, 2005. This subsection does not apply to a student who graduates from high school before or after the 2004-2005 school year, and does not apply after September 30, 2006 to a student who graduates from high school in the 2004-2005 school year.>>