ATLANTA (May 9, 2013) – House Bill 324 was signed into law on Tuesday, May 7, by Governor Nathan Deal at the Georgia State Capitol. Similar legislation sponsored by Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and this bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Dollar (R – Marietta) in the House and carried by Sen. Judson Hill (R – Marietta) in the Senate, will prohibit the Georgia Student Finance Commission board of commissioners and the Georgia Student Finance Authority board of directors from requiring the parents of Hope scholar recipients to annually submit income tax returns to qualify for this merit scholarship. Recently the Commission started requiring tax returns as a method to verify lawful presence within the U.S. as a stipulation to receiving college student aid.
“The college application process is already a long and daunting task for many students and parents. The Hope scholarship is not and was not intended to be a needs based scholarship. House Bill 24 simply removes this burdensome and intrusive requirement for the Hope student aid request,” said Sen. Hill.
Currently, Georgia students must submit their parents’ income tax returns and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when applying for the HOPE scholarship. Both the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) already verify lawful student presence in order to comply with federal laws, therefore, this additional information will no longer be required or collected to qualify for Hope scholarships.
House Bill 324 will become effective on July 1, 2013.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
May 9, 2013
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Interim Director
Jennifer.Yarber@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028