1Establishing the Governor's Schools of Excellence; and making an
2appropriation.

3The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4hereby enacts as follows:

5Section 1. Short title.

6This act shall be known and may be cited as the Governor's
7Schools of Excellence Act.

8Section 2. Legislative intent.

9It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish the
10permanent operation of the Governor's Schools of Excellence in
11order to afford students of all socioeconomic backgrounds the
12opportunity to pursue in-depth and advanced studies in <-the 
13fields of <-fields that may include, but are not limited to,
14agricultural sciences, engineering and technology or sciences.

15Section 3. Definitions.

16The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

1have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
2context clearly indicates otherwise:

3"Department." The Department of Education of the
4Commonwealth.

5"Governor's Schools of Excellence." Schools established by
6the department under section 5.

7"Host site." The college or university where a Governor's
8School of Excellence is located.

9"Program." The Governor's Schools of Excellence Program.

10Section 4. Governor's Schools of Excellence Program.

11The Governor's Schools of Excellence Program is hereby
12established within the department.

13Section 5. Duties of department.

14(a) Disciplines.--The department shall establish <-a minimum 
15of three Governor's Schools of Excellence <-in the following 
16disciplines at host sites throughout this Commonwealth<-. The in
17disciplines <-shall include all that may include any of the
18following:

19(1) Agricultural sciences.

20(2) Engineering and technology.

21(3) Sciences.

<-22(4) Other disciplines determined by the department.

23(b) Locations.--Governor's Schools of Excellence may be
24sponsored by and located at Pennsylvania institutions of higher
25education designated by the department.

26(c) Administration.--In administering the program, the
27department shall do all of the following:

28(1) Make <-student applications available to every public
29and nonpublic school in this Commonwealth and include the
30application on the department's publicly accessible Internet

1website.

2(2) Ensure that each Governor's School of Excellence is
3utilizing a process whereby students are selected on the
4basis of their performance and achievement through a
5competitive selection process and seek to ensure an
6economically, socially and geographically diverse student
7population.

8(3) Ensure the program complies with subsection (e),
9enabling all qualified students the opportunity to enroll in
10the program regardless of their economic circumstances.

11(d) Scheduling.--Governor's Schools of Excellence shall be
12held, to the extent possible, during the summer months between
13the end and the beginning of the school year. The department may
14grant permission for a school to be held at other times during
15the school year when circumstances and programming options
16warrant such a change.

17(e) Costs.--Students attending a Governor's School of
18Excellence shall not be required to pay any tuition or fees to
19attend and participate in a Governor's School of Excellence.
20Students are responsible for their own costs relating to
21transportation to and from the program.

22Section 6. Appropriation.

23For the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the General Assembly shall
24appropriate funding in the amount of $350,000 to the department
25for the purpose of the Governor's Schools of Excellence Program.

26Section 7. Effective date.

27This act shall take effect immediately.