1Establishing a recruitment scholarship program for volunteer
2fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer
3rescue squads; providing for duties of the Pennsylvania
4Higher Education Assistance Agency; and making an
5appropriation.

6The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7hereby enacts as follows:

8Section 1.  Short title.

9This act shall be known and may be cited as the Volunteer
10Recruitment Service Scholarship Act.

11Section 2.  Definitions.

12The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14context clearly indicates otherwise:

15"Agency."  The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
16Agency.

17"Degree-producing curriculum."  A series of courses

1programmed to culminate in a specific postsecondary degree or
2diploma when successfully completed.

3"Full-time study."  Enrollment in an approved postsecondary
4degree program for at least 12 credit hours per semester or at
5least eight credit hours per quarter in an institution of higher
6education.

7"Institution of higher education."  An accredited
8postsecondary institution of higher education which provides a
9course of study leading to the granting of a postsecondary
10degree or diploma.

11"Legal resident."  A person whose principal domicile is
12located within this Commonwealth in excess of one year.

13"Part-time study."  Enrollment in an approved postsecondary
14degree program for at least six but less than 12 credit hours
15per semester or at least four but less than eight credit hours
16per quarter in an institution of higher education.

17"Tuition."  The total semester, quarter or credit hour cost
18of instruction to the student as periodically published in the
19catalog of the institution of higher education, excluding
20mandatory fees, book charges and room and board.

21"Tuition benefit."  The payment of whatever cost is
22attributable to the cost of tuition after the deduction of any
23other available educational grant aid, not to exceed an amount
24equal to the annual tuition charged by the State System of
25Higher Education.

26"Volunteer ambulance service."  Any nonprofit chartered
27corporation, association or organization located in this
28Commonwealth and regularly engaged in the service of providing
29emergency medical care and transportation of patients.

30"Volunteer fire company."  A nonprofit chartered corporation,

1association or organization located in this Commonwealth that
2provides fire protection services and may offer other voluntary
3emergency services within this Commonwealth. Voluntary emergency
4services may include voluntary ambulance and voluntary rescue
5services.

6"Volunteer rescue squad."  Any nonprofit chartered
7corporation, association or organization located in this
8Commonwealth which provides rescue services in this
9Commonwealth.

10"Volunteer organization."  A volunteer fire company, a
11volunteer ambulance service or a volunteer rescue squad.

12Section 3.  Volunteer recruitment service scholarships.

13(a)  Program.--The agency is authorized, within amounts
14appropriated or otherwise lawfully available from any other
15source, to establish a recruitment scholarship program for
16volunteer organizations.

17(b)  Award.--Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to
18the contrary, the agency is authorized to grant, based upon
19available funding, volunteer recruitment service scholarships
20which shall be awarded in the following manner:

21(1)  Volunteer organizations may annually submit one
22application to the agency.

23(2)  Volunteer organizations submitting an application
24shall develop a policy for selecting the candidate that will
25be forwarded to the agency.

26(3)  The agency shall designate a date by which all
27applications shall be received by the agency.

28(4)  The agency shall award a volunteer recruitment
29service scholarship to all eligible applicants unless the
30number of applications received is greater than the funding

1available for the program, in which case the agency shall
2develop a random system for selecting the recipients.

3(5)  A recipient of the volunteer recruitment service
4scholarship shall automatically continue to receive the
5scholarship once awarded, provided that the recipient remains
6compliant with the provisions of this section, the recipient
7is continuously enrolled in a degree-producing curriculum at
8an institution of higher education and funding is available.

9(6)  The agency shall develop a system for certifying
10each semester or quarter that the recipient is compliant 
11with the conditions enumerated in section 4 prior to
12receiving the tuition benefit.

13Section 4.  Qualifications.

14Recipients of the volunteer recruitment service scholarships
15shall:

16(1)  Have been a member of the volunteer organization for
17less than six months at the time of the initial award,
18provided that this paragraph shall not apply to any
19individual under 23 years of age.

20(2)  Maintain an active volunteer status, as determined
21by the volunteer organization, for the duration of the
22scholarship.

23(3)  Have graduated from high school or have received a
24high school equivalency diploma and shall not possess a
25bachelor's degree or higher.

26(4)  Be enrolled in a degree-producing curriculum at an
27institution of higher education located within a 50-mile
28radius of the volunteer organization, or, provided that no
29such institution exists, the next closest institution.

30(5)  Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at

1least 2.0.

2(6)  Be a legal resident of this Commonwealth.

3(7)  Apply for all other available Federal, State or
4other educational grant aid at the time of enrollment. Any
5grant aid or financial assistance received shall be utilized
6to offset the cost of tuition to the maximum extent possible,
7except that nothing shall require that aid or assistance
8received which may be used toward costs other than that of
9tuition shall be applied toward the cost of tuition.

10Section 5.  Use.

11The tuition benefit provided by this act may be used for
12either part-time or full-time study.

13Section 6.  Discontinuance.

14Upon the recipient's attainment of a bachelor's degree or
15cessation of status as a volunteer with the volunteer
16organization, whichever occurs first, the tuition benefit
17provided by this act shall be discontinued. The tuition benefit
18provided by this act shall be suspended at the direction of the
19agency for:

20(1)  A recipient's failure to continue to serve as a
21volunteer with the volunteer organization.

22(2)  The failure to maintain good academic progress and
23program pursuit.

24(3)  The failure to maintain sufficient academic standing
25to retain eligibility for any other financial assistance the
26recipient may be receiving.

27(4)  The failure to comply with any provision of this
28act.

29Section 7.  Limitations.

30Unless otherwise provided for in this section, the tuition

1benefit for the volunteer recruitment service scholarships shall
2be on the terms and conditions set by the agency, provided that
3any tuition benefit for:

4(1)  Full-time study shall not exceed an amount equal to
5the annual tuition charged to the recipient or the tuition
6charged by the State System of Higher Education, whichever is
7less.

8(2)  Part-time study shall not exceed an amount equal to
9the part-time tuition charged to the recipient or the per
10credit hour tuition charged by the State System of Higher
11Education multiplied by the number of credit hours taken,
12whichever is less.

13Section 8.  Regulations.

14The agency may promulgate regulations necessary for the
15implementation of this act.

16Section 9.  Appropriation.

17The sum of $2,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
18necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Pennsylvania Higher
19Education Assistance Agency for the fiscal year July 1, 2013, to
20June 30, 2014, to carry out the purposes of this act.

21Section 10.  Effective date.

22This act shall take effect in 60 days.