PRINTER'S NO. 1400
No. 1120 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY MURPHY, ORIE, COSTA, KITCHEN, DENT, LAVALLE,
ERICKSON, TOMLINSON AND KASUNIC, OCTOBER 9, 2001
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, OCTOBER 9, 2001
AN ACT
1 Providing for emergency tuition assistance to employees who were
2 laid off or terminated due to a terroristic act; and imposing
3 powers and duties on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management
4 Agency.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Short title.
8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Displaced
9 Workers Tuition and Fees Assistance Act.
10 Section 2. Definitions.
11 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13 context clearly indicates otherwise:
14 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
15 Agency created by the act of August 7, 1963 (P.L.549, No.290),
16 referred to as the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
17 Agency Act.
18 "Community college." A public college or technical institute
1 which is established and operated under Article XIX-A of the act
2 of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School
3 Code of 1949, and all branches or campuses of a community
4 college.
5 "Employee." A resident of this Commonwealth who:
6 (1) is or was employed at a facility or business located
7 in this Commonwealth or whose employment was principally
8 localized in this Commonwealth; and
9 (2) was laid off or terminated due to the direct or
10 indirect effects of a terroristic act and not for just cause.
11 "State-owned institution." An institution which is part of
12 the State System of Higher Education under Article XX-A of the
13 act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public
14 School Code of 1949, and all branches and campuses of a State-
15 owned institution.
16 "State-related institution." The Pennsylvania State
17 University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, the
18 Pennsylvania College of Technology and Lincoln University.
19 "Terroristic act." An act which:
20 (1) causes substantial damage to individuals or
21 property; and
22 (2) is declared to be a terroristic act by the
23 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency on the basis of
24 targeting of institutions or citizens of the United States or
25 of this Commonwealth.
26 "Tuition and fees." The instructional charge and any other
27 fee established by the governing board of a community college
28 for Commonwealth residents attending the community college or
29 the instructional fee established by the Board of Governors of
30 the State System of Higher Education for Commonwealth residents
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1 attending State-owned institutions. The term includes tuition
2 and fees set by the respective governing bodies of the State-
3 related institutions.
4 Section 3. Assistance for tuition and fees.
5 (a) Assistance.--Within 90 days of the declaration of a
6 terroristic act, the agency may provide assistance for tuition
7 and fees to any employee who was enrolled in a community
8 college, State-owned institution or State-related institution or
9 who enrolls in a community college, State-owned institution or
10 State-related institution.
11 (b) Amount and duration.--If the agency provides assistance
12 pursuant to subsection (a), it shall determine the amount and
13 duration of tuition and fees assistance to be provided; but in
14 no case may the amount be less than 50% of the total amount of
15 tuition and fees an employee incurs or would incur for the
16 academic year for which assistance is being provided.
17 (c) Other grants.--The agency shall not reduce the amount of
18 other agency grants or aid for which the employee qualifies on
19 account of the employee's eligibility for or receipt of grants
20 under this act.
21 Section 10. Effective date.
22 This act shall take effect immediately.
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