HB148 Alabama 2015 Session

This bill would establish the Fostering Hope Scholarship Act of 2015

This bill would require the Department of Human Resources to develop and administer Fostering Hope, a tuition scholarship program for designated youth who are, or were, in the state foster care program, including those children adopted from the program at the age of 14 or older

This bill would impose requirements for participation

This bill would authorize the Fostering Hope program to pay tuition and required fees for eligible children at public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education in the state

This bill would authorize the Fostering Hope program to pay for job training courses or skill certifications, not considered an associate's degree, as offered by public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education in the state or any other publicly funded training program in the state, as governed by rules promulgated by the Department of Human Resources

This bill would provide a support system for participants in the scholarship program

This bill would limit, to a maximum of 10 percent, that portion of any annual appropriations for the program that may be used for the mentor program

This bill would also limit scholarship benefits and would require the Department of Human Resources to draft rules as necessary for the operation of the program, including rules to limit spending on the program to available state funds

To establish the Fostering Hope Scholarship Act of 2015, relating to a tuition scholarship program for current or former foster children in Alabama; to impose requirements for participation; to direct the Department of Human Resources to adopt and administer the program; to authorize the department to develop rules to administer the program; to establish a support system for participants in the program; and to repeal Section 3 of Act 2014-413, now appearing as Section 40-18-362, Code of Alabama 1975.