Bill Sponsors
Azzinaro, Kennedy, Phillips, and Corvese
Committee
House Finance
Summary
Select
This bill updates the rules for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship, which provides free tuition at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). It allows students to keep scholarship money from the "College Crusade" without it reducing their Promise Scholarship award. Additionally, it gives students more flexibility by allowing them to qualify for the scholarship even if they defer enrollment for one semester or attend a different college for one semester immediately after high school, provided they then transfer to CCRI.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Expands access to higher education for low-income and disadvantaged youth by exempting College Crusade scholarships from the funding calculation, allowing these students to have more financial resources for living expenses.
- Provides crucial flexibility for students who may need to defer enrollment or transfer due to life circumstances, ensuring that the social safety net of free tuition is not denied due to rigid timelines.
- Strengthens the public education system by encouraging higher enrollment at the community college level and investing in the future workforce of the state.
Cons for Progressives
- The bill continues to limit the "free college" benefit primarily to the associate degree level, rather than expanding universal tuition-free access to four-year public institutions like URI or RIC.
- Retains strict eligibility requirements regarding age and recent high school graduation, failing to address the needs of older adult learners or non-traditional students who need retraining.
- The deferment period is limited to only one semester, which may not be sufficient for students facing significant systemic barriers, medical issues, or family obligations.
Pros for Conservatives
- Encourages workforce development by helping students obtain associate degrees and certificates, potentially increasing the skilled labor pool and reducing long-term reliance on welfare.
- Maintains the requirement that recipients must commit to live, work, or continue education in Rhode Island, ensuring that state tax dollars are used to benefit the local economy.
- Allows students who may have made a financial error by choosing an expensive four-year college initially to transfer to a more cost-effective community college without being penalized.
Cons for Conservatives
- Increases state spending and the burden on taxpayers by expanding the pool of students eligible for government-subsidized tuition.
- Allows students to "double-dip" on financial aid by exempting College Crusade funds, potentially reducing the incentive for students and families to take personal financial responsibility.
- Loosens the rules for a government entitlement program, potentially setting a precedent for further expansions of the welfare state and bureaucratic creep.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Community college students
- High school graduates
- College Crusade scholarship recipients
- Parents of college students
- Community College of Rhode Island
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
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Regulatory
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Clarity of Bill Language
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/09/2026 Introduced, referred to House Finance
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Sections 16-107-4, 16-107-5 and 16-107-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-107 entitled "Rhode Island Promise Scholarship" are hereby amended to read as follows:
16-107-4. Definitions.
When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) “ADA” means the American with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., as may be amended from time to time;
(2) “FAFSA” means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form;
(3) “Mandatory fees and tuition” are the costs that every student is required to pay in order to enroll in classes, and does not include room and board, textbooks, program fees that may exist in some majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, meal plans, or travel;
(4) “On track to graduate on time” means the standards determined by the community college of Rhode Island in establishing the expectation of a student to graduate with an accredited certificate or associate’s degree within two (2) years of enrollment (recognizing that some students, including students who require developmental education, are double majors, or are enrolled in certain professional programs may require an extended time period for certificate or degree completion);
(5) “Reasonable accommodations” means any necessary modifications or adjustment to a facility, equipment, program, or manner of operation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as may be amended from time to time;
(6) “Recipient student” means a student attending the community college of Rhode Island who qualifies to receive the Rhode Island promise scholarship pursuant to § 16-107-6;
(7) “Scholarship program” means the Rhode Island promise scholarship program that is established pursuant to § 16-107-3;
(8) “State” means the state of Rhode Island; and
(9) “Student with a disability” means any student otherwise eligible pursuant to § 16-107- 6 who has a physical, developmental, or hidden disability or disabilities, as defined in § 42-87-1, that would create a hardship or other functional obstacles preventing participation in this program.
16-107-5. Administration of scholarship program.
(a) The financial aid office, in conjunction with the office of enrollment management or their respective equivalent offices, at the community college of Rhode Island, shall administer the scholarship program for state residents seeking accredited certificates or associate degrees who meet the eligibility requirements in this chapter.
(b) An award of the scholarship program shall cover the cost of two (2) years of tuition and mandatory fees, less federal and all other financial aid monies available to the recipient student. No grant received by students from the College Crusade Scholarship Act as established in chapter 70 of this title shall be considered federal or financial aid for the purposes of this chapter.
(c) The scholarship program is limited to one award per student as required by § 16-107- 6(a)(7).
16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship.
(a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student:
(1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified from time to time (“residency policy”); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age; provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary and secondary education;
(2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester LC003380 - Page 2 of 5 immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma;
(3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program;
(4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis;
(5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island;
(6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of Rhode Island;
(7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and
(8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.
The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this commitment from recipient students.
(b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section (“specified conditions”):
(1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other applicable eligibility requirements;
(2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special military training or deployment;and
(3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an accredited certificate or associate’s degree;
(4) Any student who enrolled in a postsecondary institution by the semester immediately LC003380 - Page 3 of 5 following high school graduation or the semester immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma and remained in the institution for only up to one semester may enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island in the semester immediately following and qualify for the scholarship pursuant to this section; and
(5) Any student may defer initial enrollment for one semester at the community college of Rhode Island for the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma with an approved written request and reason and qualifies for the scholarship pursuant to this section.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
16-107-4. Definitions.
When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) “ADA” means the American with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., as may be amended from time to time;
(2) “FAFSA” means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form;
(3) “Mandatory fees and tuition” are the costs that every student is required to pay in order to enroll in classes, and does not include room and board, textbooks, program fees that may exist in some majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, meal plans, or travel;
(4) “On track to graduate on time” means the standards determined by the community college of Rhode Island in establishing the expectation of a student to graduate with an accredited certificate or associate’s degree within two (2) years of enrollment (recognizing that some students, including students who require developmental education, are double majors, or are enrolled in certain professional programs may require an extended time period for certificate or degree completion);
(5) “Reasonable accommodations” means any necessary modifications or adjustment to a facility, equipment, program, or manner of operation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as may be amended from time to time;
(6) “Recipient student” means a student attending the community college of Rhode Island who qualifies to receive the Rhode Island promise scholarship pursuant to § 16-107-6;
(7) “Scholarship program” means the Rhode Island promise scholarship program that is established pursuant to § 16-107-3;
(8) “State” means the state of Rhode Island; and
(9) “Student with a disability” means any student otherwise eligible pursuant to § 16-107- 6 who has a physical, developmental, or hidden disability or disabilities, as defined in § 42-87-1, that would create a hardship or other functional obstacles preventing participation in this program.
16-107-5. Administration of scholarship program.
(a) The financial aid office, in conjunction with the office of enrollment management or their respective equivalent offices, at the community college of Rhode Island, shall administer the scholarship program for state residents seeking accredited certificates or associate degrees who meet the eligibility requirements in this chapter.
(b) An award of the scholarship program shall cover the cost of two (2) years of tuition and mandatory fees, less federal and all other financial aid monies available to the recipient student. No grant received by students from the College Crusade Scholarship Act as established in chapter 70 of this title shall be considered federal or financial aid for the purposes of this chapter.
(c) The scholarship program is limited to one award per student as required by § 16-107- 6(a)(7).
16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship.
(a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student:
(1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified from time to time (“residency policy”); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age; provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary and secondary education;
(2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester LC003380 - Page 2 of 5 immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma;
(3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program;
(4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis;
(5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island;
(6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of Rhode Island;
(7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and
(8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.
The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this commitment from recipient students.
(b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section (“specified conditions”):
(1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other applicable eligibility requirements;
(2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special military training or deployment;
(3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an accredited certificate or associate’s degree;
(4) Any student who enrolled in a postsecondary institution by the semester immediately LC003380 - Page 3 of 5 following high school graduation or the semester immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma and remained in the institution for only up to one semester may enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island in the semester immediately following and qualify for the scholarship pursuant to this section; and
(5) Any student may defer initial enrollment for one semester at the community college of Rhode Island for the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma with an approved written request and reason and qualifies for the scholarship pursuant to this section.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.