1ST CONGRESS

1ST SESSION

S. 7
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DECEMBER, 27, 2012

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(2) Land Grant Institution The term 'Land Grant Institution' means any institution of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. (i) An institution established and endowed by the developing or selling of federally controlled land granted to the state by the federal government. (ii) The focus of these institutions is to teach practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering without excluding the teaching of classical studies. (3) Student The term 'Student' means any individual enrolled in a undergraduate or graduate degree program at a Land Grant Institution. (i) The term in-state student means any student attending a Higher Education Institution in his or her state of residency. (ii) The term out-of-state student means any student attending a Higher Education Institution outside of his or her state of residency. (4) National Academic Common Market The term 'National Academic Common Market' means a system that allows a student wishing to pursue a degree program that is not offered by a Land Grant Institution in his or her state of residency to apply to pay in-state rates at a Land Grant Institution offering that desired degree program in a different state,

To establish the National Academic Common Market, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

Mr. AKHTAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

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A BILL
To establish the National Academic Common Market, and for other purposes.

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Act.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Academic Liberty

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS In this act: (1) Higher Education Institution The term 'Higher Education Institution' means a university or higher education college that confers a baccalaureates, master's, or doctoral degree.

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established under Section 3. (5) National Academic Common Market Oversight Panel The term National Academic Common Market Oversight Panel means the board of directors of the National Academic Common Market established in Section 5. (i) Also cited as the Oversight Panel (6) Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market The term Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market means an application to apply to receive in-state tuition rates within the National Academic Common Market. (i) This application is to be composed by the National Academic Common Market Oversight Panel. (ii) The Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market must include the students state of residency, degree program pursued, Higher Education Institution offering the degree program which the student wishes to attend, effective term, and other details requested by the National Academic Common Market Oversight Panel. (7) Scholarship The term Scholarship means a grant or payment made to support a student's education. (8) Joint Degree Program The term Joint Degree Program means a specified combination of

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degree programs or degree types in which a student is enrolled in two or more undergraduate, or two or more graduate, degree programs concurrently. (i) Joint Degree Program may also be cited as Dual-Degree Program, Double Degree Program, Combined Degree Program, Conjoint Degree Program, or Simultaneous Degree Program depending on the institution. (ii) A Joint Degree Program may consist of two or more degrees within a department, college, or university. (iii) Any Joint Degree Program must be specified by the institution and must be listed in the official undergraduate or graduate academic programs listing. (9) Online Course The term Online Course means a course that is offered over the World Wide Web instead of on a traditional campus and can be taken from any distance. (10) Tuition-Reduction Waiver The term Tuition-Reduction Waiver means a waiver applied to a students account that equals the difference between out-of-state rates and in-state rates. (11) Academic Common Market of the Southern Regional Education Board The term 'Academic Common Market of the Southern Regional Education Board' means a tuition-savings program for college

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students in the sixteen Southern Regional Education Board member states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by their in-state institutions. SEC. 3. ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET. There is established the 'National Academic Common Market', which shall be an independent establishment of the Federal Government. SEC. 4. THE NATIONAL ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET PROGRAM DESCRIPTION. (a) Any student wishing to pursue a degree program that is not offered by a Land Grant Institution in his or her state of residency may apply to pay instate rates at a Land Grant Institution offering that desired degree program in a different state. (i) This includes Joint-Degree Programs offered as two or more separate programs at Land Grant Institutions in the students state of residency. (ii) This includes Online Courses that lead to the conferral of the desired undergraduate or graduate degree. (ii) The student must maintain a full-time student status as determined by the institution. (iii) The student must be accepted into the degree program at the Land Grant Institution he or she wishes to attend in order to qualify. (iv) The student must mail a completed

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Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market to the Oversight Panel. (1) The student must include a copy of his or her official acceptance letter into the desired degree program and copies of three proofs of residency in state of residency with his or her Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market. (2) The three proofs of residency are a valid drivers license or state identification card, a signed copy of most recent federal income tax form, and a signed copy of most recent state income tax form. (a) The signed copy of most recent federal income tax form and signed copy of most recent state income tax form may be substituted with the signed tax forms of the individual that claims the student as a dependent as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. (b) The Application for Participation in the National Academic Common Market will be received and reviewed by the Oversight Panel. (i) In the event that a student is denied Participation in the National Academic Common Market, he or she may file an appeal with the Oversight Panel. (c) Once approved by the Oversight Panel, the

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student will receive a Tuition-Reduction Waiver, which will be applied directly to his or her billing account. (i) The Tuition-Reduction Waiver will be applied to the students billing account every academic term and will not require reapplication for the remainder of his or her enrollment in the degree program. (ii) The approved student shall be eligible to receive scholarships reserved for in-state students and ineligible to receive scholarships reserved for out-ofstate students at the Land Grant Institution he or she will attend. (d) The student may later become ineligible to receive the Tuition-Reduction Waiver if (i) He or she withdraws from the degree program approved for tuition-reduction, (ii) He or she withdraws or transfers from the approved Land Grant Institution, (iii) He or she loses full-time student status as determined by the institution, (iv) The institution declares the student ineligible to continue within the degree program, (1) This may be due to Grade Point Average restrictions on the degree program, violations as determined by the university, et cetera. (v) In the event that a student later becomes ineligible to receive the Tuition-Reduction

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Waiver, he or she may file an appeal with the Oversight Panel. (e) In the event that a student later becomes ineligible to receive the Tuition-Reduction Waiver, the student will only be charged out-of-state rates for the semesters he or she is enrolled in a degree program other than the one approved for tuition reduction at the Land Grant Institution. SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET. (a) The National Academic Common Market Oversight Panel shall be the governing body of the National Academic Common Market. (b) The Oversight Panel shall be comprised of ten members, one from each Standard Federal Region as established by the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-105, "Standard Federal Regions," in April, 1974. (i) Individuals to take the seat for each Standard Federal Region shall be nominated by a Senator from that region, and voted and appointed by the full body of the Senate. (ii) Nominated individuals must be citizens of the United States and must have previous credibility within the academics. (c) The Oversight Panel must compose the Application for Participation in the National Academic

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Common Market which must include the students state of residency, degree program pursued, Higher Education Institution offering the degree program which the student wishes to attend, and effective term as well as any other details the Oversight Panel requires. (i) The application must be reviewed and revised annually by the Oversight Panel. (d) The Oversight Panel is mainly tasked with reviewing Applications for Participation in the Federal Academic Market and approving students for a TuitionReduction Waiver if they successfully meet the requirements outlined in Section 4, subparagraph (a). (i) If the student is denied participation in the National Academic Common Market, the Oversight Panel must include reasons for denial in a letter sent to the student. (e) The Oversight Panel is also tasked with determining ineligibility for the Tuition-Reduction Waiver for students that no longer qualify. (f) The Oversight Panel must also hear appeals by students that were denied participation in the National Academic Common Market or were determined no longer eligible for a Tuition-Reduction Waiver. SEC. 6. ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET OF THE SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION BOARD.

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The National Academic Common Market is to work in conjunction with, and shall not hinder the current or future operation of, the 'Academic Common Market' sponsored by the Southern Regional Education Board. SEC. 7. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT AND TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMITTEE. (a) Not later than two (2) years after the date of enactment of this act, and annually thereafter, the Oversight Panel shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a report describing the activities of the Oversight Panel, for the fiscal year covered by the report. (b) Not later than two (2) years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a report evaluating the activities of the National Academic Common Market for the fiscal years covered by the report. (c) Not later than two (2) years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Librarian of Congress of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the

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Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a report evaluating the effectiveness of the National Academic Common Market for the fiscal years covered by the report. (d) Not later than two (2) years after the date of enactment of this act, and annually thereafter, the Oversight Panel shall have a hearing with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives to discuss and question the activities of the Oversight Panel.