A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to expand ELIGIBILITY for the North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship and the University of North carolina Need‑Based Grant scholarship programs to students enrolled in comprehensive transition programs.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑499.1 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(2a)	Comprehensive Transition Programs or CTP. – A higher education program for students with intellectual disabilities approved by the United States Department of Education pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1140f – 1140i."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑499.2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑499.2.  Eligibility requirements for a scholarship.
In order to be eligible to receive a scholarship under this Article, a student seeking a course of study, degree, diploma, or certificate at an eligible postsecondary institution must meet all of the following requirements:
(1)	Only needy North Carolina students are eligible to receive scholarships. For purposes of this subsection, "needy North Carolina students" are those eligible students whose expected family contribution under the federal methodology does not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(2)	The student must meet all other eligibility requirements for the federal Pell Grant, with the exception of the expected family contribution.
(3)	The student must qualify as a legal resident of North Carolina and as a resident for tuition purposes under the criteria set forth in G.S. 116‑143.1 and in accordance with definitions of residency that may from time to time be adopted by the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina.
(4)	The student must meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status or as a student enrolled in a Comprehensive Transition Program at an eligible postsecondary institution.
(5)	In order to continue to be eligible for a scholarship for the student's second and subsequent academic years, the student must meet achievement standards by maintaining satisfactory academic progress in a course of study in accordance with the standards and practices used for federal Title IV programs by the eligible postsecondary institution in which the student is enrolled.
(6)	Repealed by Session Laws 2013‑360, s. 11.15(a), and applicable to the 2014‑2015 academic year and each subsequent academic year."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 116‑25.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 116‑25.1.  The University of North Carolina need‑based financial aid grants.
(a)	Except as otherwise provided by this section, a student shall not receive a grant from The University of North Carolina Need‑Based Financial Aid Program for more than 10 full‑time academic semesters, or its equivalent if enrolled part‑time, unless the student is enrolled in a program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five‑year degree program. If a student is enrolled in such a five‑year degree program, then the student shall not receive a need‑based grant from The University of North Carolina Need‑Based Financial Aid Program for more than 12 full‑time academic semesters or its equivalent if enrolled part‑time.
(b)	Upon application by a student, the constituent institution may grant a waiver to the student who may then receive a grant for the equivalent of one additional full‑time academic semester if the student demonstrates that any of the following have substantially disrupted or interrupted the student's pursuit of a degree: (i) a military service obligation, (ii) serious medical debilitation, (iii) a short‑term or long‑term disability, or (iv) other extraordinary hardship. The Board of Governors shall establish policies and procedures to implement the waiver provided by this subsection.
(c)	A student who meets enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as a student enrolled in a Comprehensive Transition Program at an eligible postsecondary institution shall be eligible for a grant from The University of North Carolina Need‑Based Financial Aid Program if the student otherwise meets the requirements of the program. For the purposes of this subsection, a "Comprehensive Transition Program" is a higher education program for students with intellectual disabilities approved by the United States Department of Education pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1140f – 1140i."
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2019, and applies beginning with the 2020‑2021 academic year.