LB 306 — Change provisions relating to admission to elementary and secondary schools, the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges, the Nebraska Career Scholarship Act, the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education Act, and the Door to College Scholarship Act and require a database of financial information regarding school districts and reporting regarding funding from foreign adversarial sources

(5) Seek a close liaison with the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education in recognition of the need for close coordination of -5- LB306 LB306 2025 activities between elementary and secondary education and postsecondary education;

(7) Administer (a) the Access College Early Scholarship Program Act, (b) the Community College Aid Act, (c) the Door to College Scholarship Act and the Door to College Scholarship Fund, (d) the Nebraska Community College Student Performance and Occupational Education Grant Fund under the direction of the Nebraska Community College Student Performance and -14- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 Occupational Education Grant Committee, (e) the Nebraska Opportunity Grant Act and the Nebraska Opportunity Grant Fund, (f) the Postsecondary Institution Act, (g) the community college gap assistance program and the Community College Gap Assistance Program Fund, and (h) the Excellence in Teaching Act and the Excellence in Teaching Cash Fund;

-15- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 85-3003 (1)(a) The Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges shall award a Nebraska Career Scholarship that does not exceed a maximum of fifteen thousand dollars per year to any eligible state college student (i) who achieved a composite score on any college admission test equivalent to a standard college admission test equivalent to a score of at least eighteen out of a maximum score of thirty-six or an equivalent score on the SAT® or who had a high school grade-point average of 3.0 or greater on a four-point scale and (ii) who is enrolled in an eligible program of study.

(3) A Nebraska Career Scholarship may be used by a scholarship -16- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 recipient for tuition, fees, required tools and equipment, and room and board.

(5) The Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges shall collect -6- LB306 LB306 2025 information on each state college scholarship recipient and shall report electronically to the Clerk of the Legislature and the Governor on or before December 1 of each year the following information for the eligible programs of study at a state college in the current or prior academic year:

(d) The total number of scholarship recipients who graduated during -17- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 the immediately prior academic year and a comparison of the four-year graduation rates between the scholarship recipients who graduated and the state college's overall four-year graduate rate reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System for the same year;

(A) Twenty-five thousand dollars per year for any scholarship recipient who achieved a composite score on any college admission test equivalent to a standard college admission test equivalent to a score of at least twenty-eight out of a maximum score of thirty-six;thirty-six or an equivalent score on the SAT®;

or (B) Ten thousand dollars per year for any scholarship recipient who achieved a composite score on any college admission test equivalent to a standard college admission test equivalent to a score of at least twenty and less than twenty-eight out of a maximum score of thirty-six.thirty-six or an equivalent score on the SAT®.

Eligibility criteria shall include (i) being a first-first-time time freshman who achieved a composite score on any college admission -18- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 test equivalent to a standard college admission test equivalent to a score of at least twenty out of a maximum score of thirty-six or an equivalent score on the SAT® or a transfer student and (ii) enrollment in an eligible program of study.

(5) The Board of Regents shall collect information on each university scholarship recipient and shall report electronically to the Clerk of the Legislature and the Governor on or before December 1 of each year the following information for the eligible programs of study at the -19- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 university in the current or prior academic year:

(b) The total number of scholarship recipients in each eligible program of study for the current academic year and the total number of such scholarship recipients who are newly enrolled in each eligible program of study for such -7- LB306 LB306 2025 academic year, based upon official fall census data;

85-300685-3006 (1)(a) (1)(a) The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, in collaboration with private colleges that elect to participate, shall award a Nebraska Career Scholarship that does not exceed a maximum of ten thousand dollars per year to any private college student who achieved a composite score on any college admission test -20- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 equivalent to a standard college admission test equivalent to a score of at least eighteen out of a maximum score of thirty-six or an equivalent score on the SAT® or who had a high school grade-point average of 3.0 or greater on a four-point scale and who is enrolled in an eligible program of study.

-21- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 (3) (4) Each scholarship awarded under this section shall be automatically renewed on an annual basis if the student remains enrolled in good standing in the eligible program of study for which such scholarship was awarded, except that no student shall receive a scholarship renewal after four years of participation in such eligible program of study.

(d) (e) The total number of graduates for the immediately prior -22- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 academic year, the number of scholarship recipient graduates for such academic year, and a comparison of the graduation rates for scholarship recipients and nonscholarship students;

and (e) Using data from the Department of Labor, the (f) The number of scholarship recipients obtaining employment in the state within five fiscal quarters after completion of an eligible program of study graduates from the immediately prior academic year who obtained employment in a major-related field in the state within four months after graduation and the average starting -8- LB306 LB306 2025 salary for such graduates.

-23- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 (c) Satisfying state statutory requirements relating to the approval and licensure of schools, colleges, and universities and maintaining accreditation by an accrediting organization recognized by the United States Department of Education;

(8) Part-time status means enrollment in at least twelve semester credit hours, eighteen quarter credit hours, or four hundred fifty clock -24- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 hours per award year;

-25- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 (a) Contract means any agreement between a covered institution and a -9- LB306 LB306 2025 foreign adversarial source for the acquisition by purchase, lease, or barter of property or services, for the direct benefit or use of either of the parties;

and (iv) An agent of any entity or individual described in subdivision (1)(c)(i),(1)(c) (i), (ii), or (iii) of this section, including a subsidiary or affiliate of a foreign adversary legal entity acting on behalf of any such entity or individual;

(d) Foreign adversary means a foreign adversary as determined pursuant to 15 C.F.R.

Unless the information is exempt or -26- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 prohibited from disclosure or deemed confidential under federal or state law, the report shall include the following information:

2.-10-

On page 1, strike beginning with "postsecondary" in line 1 -27- ER93 ER93 LB306 LB306 LPB - 05/28/2025 LPB - 05/28/2025 through line 12 and insert "education;

to amend sections 79-215, 79-2,136, 85-304, 85-1402, 85-1412, 85-3003, 85-3004, 85-3006, and 85-3202, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska;

to provide for the admission of and participation in extracurricular activities by certain students that are not residents of the school district;

to change provisions relating to the powers and duties of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges;

to redefine terms and change powers and duties under the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education Act;

to change provisions relating to scholarships to a state college, private college, or the University of Nebraska under the Nebraska Career Scholarship Act;

to redefine terms under the Door to College Scholarship Act;

to provide for the establishment of a database of financial information from all school districts in the state;

to require each public or private two-year or four-year college or university to report certain funding from a foreign adversarial source to the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education;

to harmonize provisions;

to provide operative dates;

to repeal the original sections;

and to declare an emergency.".

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