Bill > S3107

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) Study Commission, which will examine the operation of the State's Tuition Aid Grant Program and develop recommendations for improvements to the program. The commission will include the following nine members: the Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority; four members appointed by the Governor, including a representative of the State colleges and universities, a representative of the public research universities, a representative of the county colleges, and a representative of the independent colleges and universities; two public members appointed by the President of the Senate; and two public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly. Under the bill, the TAG Study Commission is tasked with examining and evaluating the Tuition Aid Grant Program, identifying any barriers, gaps, or deficiencies in the successful operation of the program, and developing recommendations for program improvements. In particular, the commission will study and consider the following issues: (a) tuition aid grant amounts currently awarded to eligible students; (b) the percentage of tuition costs covered by tuition aid grants; (c) adjustments in the level of tuition aid grant awards from one fiscal year to the next, including the different formulas or methods used over different fiscal years to calculate the amount of a tuition aid grant; (d) the methodology used to calculate the New Jersey Eligibility Index; (e) the graduation rates of tuition aid grant recipients; (f) the history of State appropriations made to support the Tuition Aid Grant Program; and (g) the sufficiency of the tuition aid grants awarded to eligible students in light of the original intent of the statute establishing the Tuition Aid Grant Program. The bill directs the TAG Study Commission to issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 12 months after the commission organizes.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Sandra Cunningham (D)*,  Nicholas Sacco (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee (on 05/01/2017)