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S1285..........................................................by SCHROEDER SCHOLARSHIPS - MATH - SCIENCE - Adds to existing law relating to scholarships to provide a short title; to set forth purposes; to provide definitions; to provide for eligibility for Idaho mathematics, science and engineering scholarships; to provide duties and responsibilities for the Office of the State Board of Education; and to create the Idaho Mathematics, Science and Engineering Scholarship Fund. 01/20 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing 01/23 Rpt prt - to Educ
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2006IN THE SENATE SENATE BILL NO. 1285 BY SCHROEDER 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION; AMENDING TITLE 33, 3 IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW CHAPTER 56, TITLE 33, IDAHO CODE, TO 4 PROVIDE FOR A SHORT TITLE, TO SET FORTH PURPOSES, TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS, 5 TO PROVIDE FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR IDAHO MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 6 SCHOLARSHIPS, TO PROVIDE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE OFFICE OF THE 7 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND TO CREATE THE IDAHO MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND 8 ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP FUND. 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 10 SECTION 1. That Title 33, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended 11 by the addition thereto of a NEW CHAPTER, to be known and designated as Chap- 12 ter 56, Title 33, Idaho Code, and to read as follows: 13 CHAPTER 56 14 MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP 15 33-5601. SHORT TITLE. This act shall be known and cited as the "Idaho 16 Mathematics, Science and Engineering Scholarship Act." 17 33-5602. PURPOSE. The legislature recognizes that Idaho needs to attract 18 and retain the best mathematical, science and engineering minds to our public 19 institutions of higher education to keep abreast of the technological needs of 20 Idaho industry and to secure Idaho's place in the rapidly advancing technolog- 21 ical world. Scholarships, based on merit, for individuals seeking degrees in 22 mathematics, science and engineering from an Idaho public institution of 23 higher education will advance these goals. 24 33-5603. DEFINITIONS. (1) "Board" means the office of the state board of 25 education. 26 (2) "Idaho public institution of higher education" means an Idaho public 27 postsecondary organization governed or supervised by the state board of educa- 28 tion and the board of regents of the university of Idaho, a board of trustees 29 as established by law, a board of trustees of a community college established 30 pursuant to the provisions of section 33-2106, Idaho Code, or the state board 31 for professional-technical education. 32 33-5604. ELIGIBILITY. Any graduate from an accredited secondary school 33 may apply to the board for an Idaho mathematics, science or engineering schol- 34 arship. Scholarships shall be awarded to individuals who demonstrate the 35 greatest proficiency in mathematics and science on standardized national 36 tests, as determined by the board, and who profess a commitment to remain in 37 Idaho after obtaining a postsecondary degree from an Idaho public institution 38 of higher education in mathematics, a field of scientific study, or a field of 39 engineering. To remain eligible for an Idaho mathematics, science and engi- 2 1 neering scholarship, the recipient must be a full-time student at an Idaho 2 public institution of higher education with a major in mathematics, a field of 3 science or a field of engineering and be ranked in the upper one-half (1/2) of 4 the recipient's class. 5 33-5605. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD. The board shall have 6 the following duties and responsibilities: 7 (1) To determine which standardized test or tests it will utilize to rank 8 the individuals applying for the Idaho mathematics, science and engineering 9 scholarship; 10 (2) To assess the commitment of applicants applying for an Idaho mathe- 11 matics, science and engineering scholarship to remain in Idaho after obtaining 12 a postsecondary degree from an Idaho public institution of higher education in 13 mathematics, a field of scientific study, or a field of engineering, provided 14 that the Idaho mathematics, science and engineering scholarship shall be 15 awarded to qualifying individuals without regard to the individual's race, 16 creed, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, or age; 17 (3) To establish an application process; 18 (4) To publicize the availability of the Idaho mathematics, science and 19 engineering scholarship; 20 (5) To determine the definition of a mathematics, science or engineering 21 field of study which qualifies for the mathematics, science and engineering 22 scholarship; 23 (6) To determine the amount of the Idaho mathematics, science and engi- 24 neering scholarship for each academic year, provided that such scholarship is 25 sufficient to pay for the recipient's tuition, basic room and board, and nec- 26 essary books and educational supplies; 27 (7) To determine the number of Idaho mathematics, science and engineering 28 scholarships to be awarded each academic year and award Idaho mathematics, 29 science and engineering scholarships, subject to available funding; 30 (8) To determine the duration of each Idaho mathematics, science and 31 engineering scholarship awarded by the board, provided that no such scholar- 32 ship shall be awarded for more than five (5) academic years, and provided fur- 33 ther that the board may temporarily suspend the award of a scholarship for up 34 to two (2) academic years for sufficient and just cause; and 35 (9) To establish reporting requirements for each recipient of an Idaho 36 mathematics, science and engineering scholarship to determine if the recipient 37 has maintained the eligibility for the scholarship as set forth in this chap- 38 ter, and if the recipient has failed to maintain those eligibility require- 39 ments, revoke the scholarship. 40 33-5606. IDAHO MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP FUND. The 41 Idaho mathematics, science and engineering scholarship fund is hereby created 42 in the state treasury which shall be used to award Idaho mathematics, science 43 and engineering scholarships as provided in this chapter. The fund shall con- 44 sist of appropriations, income from investment of the fund, gifts, grants and 45 donations. Money in the fund shall not revert to any other fund at the end of 46 the fiscal year.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE RS 15714 This legislation establishes scholarships at Idaho's public colleges and universities, based on merit, for individuals seeking degrees in mathematics, science, and engineering. This legislation involves the Office of the State Board of Education (OSBE) so that the math and science initiatives of OSBE can be coordinated with the intent of this legislation. The Office of the State Board of Education (OSBE) shall determine which national test or tests are used to rank the applicants, shall determine which math, science, and engineering disciplines qualify for eligibility, shall determine the number to recommend to the legislature for funding each fiscal year, and such as other rules as are necessary to implement this legislation. FISCAL NOTE No fiscal impact until OSBE decides how many scholarships to recommend to the legislature. Contact Name: Senator Gary Schroeder Phone: 208-332-1324 Representative Tom Trail 208-332-1260 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE S 1285 REVISED REVISED REVISED REVISED REVISED REVISE