PRINTER'S NO. 3640
No. 2502 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY T. STEVENSON, MUSTIO, PETRI, CREIGHTON, ALLEN,
ARMSTRONG, BELFANTI, BUNT, DENLINGER, GEIST, GOOD, HORSEY,
LEDERER, LEWIS, METCALFE, READSHAW, REICHLEY, R. STEVENSON,
THOMAS, WASHINGTON, WATSON, WILT AND YOUNGBLOOD,
APRIL 2, 2004
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 2, 2004
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," providing for undergraduate student
6 consumer information in the State System of Higher Education.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11 section to read:
12 Section 2011.1-A. Undergraduate Student Consumer
13 Information.--(a) At the time it transmits a bill for tuition,
14 fees, room and board charges to its undergraduate students, an
15 institution shall provide each undergraduate student with a
16 consumer information statement containing the following
17 information:
18 (1) The cost of instruction per undergraduate student for
1 the institution.
2 (2) The current tuition rate per undergraduate student for
3 the institution and the percentage it represents of the cost
4 reported in paragraph (1).
5 (3) A listing of all fees assessed on undergraduate students
6 by category on a per-undergraduate-student basis; the total cost
7 of these fees on a per-undergraduate-student basis; and this
8 total expressed as a percentage of the cost determined in
9 paragraph (1).
10 (4) State funding per undergraduate student for the
11 institution expressed as a percentage of the cost indicated in
12 paragraph (1).
13 (b) The following words and phrases as used in this section
14 shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:
15 (1) "Cost of instruction" shall mean the ongoing expenses of
16 an institution for faculty and staff, operating expenses,
17 travel, equipment, maintenance of building and grounds and other
18 costs that are part of the annual expenses of the institution.
19 (2) "Fees" shall mean charges assessed on an undergraduate
20 student above and beyond the institution's tuition and which may
21 include any laboratory fees, activity fees, service fees or
22 technology fees.
23 (3) "State funding" shall mean the amount appropriated by
24 the General Assembly for the State System of Higher Education
25 and subsequently allocated by the system to each institution
26 divided by the number of undergraduate students who are enrolled
27 at each institution.
28 (4) "Tuition" shall mean the instructional fees fixed by the
29 Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education
30 pursuant to section 2006-A(11).
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1 (5) "Undergraduate student" shall mean a person pursuing a
2 bachelor's degree on a full-time basis. The term does not
3 include a person participating in noncredit programs or
4 correspondence courses.
5 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.
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