HOPE bills filed

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bills filed Tuesday give students and families a look at changes proposed by Democrats for the state's HOPE college scholarship.

The bills came as the state House and Senate higher education committees scheduled a joint meeting for Wednesday to discuss HOPE and the impact of last year's reforms, when Republican Gov. Nathan Deal asked lawmakers to reduce the program to keep it from going broke. The program, however, is still straining to meet demand amid soaring enrollment and tuition.

Senate Bill 336 would reinstate a cap on family income for students to be eligible for HOPE, starting at $140,000 per family. A cap existed when the program began, but was quickly lifted after the lottery proved financially successful.

Senate Bill 335 would erase a new 3.0 GPA requirement for technical college students receiving grant money through the HOPE program. The technical grants are different from the scholarship and tend to benefit students who are older and likely supporting families of their own.

Senate Bill 334 would eliminate an SAT requirement for the state's new Zell Miller program, which was launched last year by Gov. Nathan Deal to provide full tuition to the state's highest-achieving students. Instead, graduating seniors in the top 3 percent of every high school in Georgia would automatically qualify.

Senate Resolution 722 would put to public vote a proposal to add a student representative to the state Board of Regents, which oversees the University System of Georgia and sets tuition.

Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, sponsored all but SB 334, which was sponsored by Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D- Dawson.