Sec. 10a-77. (Formerly Sec. 10-38h). Regional community-technical colleges: Tuition, fees and refunds. Operating fund. Operating accounts. Waivers. Reimbursement of fund. Course reenrollment for stude
Sec. 10a-77. (Formerly Sec. 10-38h). Regional community-technical colleges:
Tuition, fees and refunds. Operating fund. Operating accounts. Waivers. Reimbursement of fund. Course reenrollment for student members of the armed forces
called to active duty. (a) Subject to the provisions of section 10a-26, the Board of
Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall fix fees for tuition at the regional
community-technical colleges and shall fix fees for such other purposes as the board
deems necessary at the regional community-technical colleges, and may make refunds
to the same.
(b) The Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall establish
and administer a fund to be known as the Regional Community-Technical Colleges
Operating Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and, upon request
by the board and with an annual review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of
Policy and Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits and workers' compensation applicable to the community-technical colleges pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73, shall be transferred from the Comptroller, and all tuition revenue
received by the regional community-technical colleges in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student
fees or related charges; the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business enterprises, gifts
and donations; federal funds and grants for purposes other than research, and all receipts
derived from the conduct by the colleges of their education extension programs and
summer school sessions shall be credited to said fund but shall be allocated to the central
office and institutional operating accounts which shall be established and maintained
for the central office and each community-technical college. If the Secretary of the
Office of Policy and Management disapproves such transfer, the secretary may require
the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services
and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer shall review and
approve the transfer prior to such request by the board of trustees. The board shall
establish an equitable policy for allocation of appropriations from general revenues of
the state, fringe benefits transferred from the Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited
in the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. At the beginning of
each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and transfer, in accordance with
said policy, moneys for expenditure in such institutional operating accounts, exclusive
of amounts retained for central office operations and reasonable reserves for future
distribution. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection (e) of this
section shall be charged to the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating
Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by operating funds and
costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly,
or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee.
Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums
as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further
payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued
for purposes of community-technical colleges.
(c) Commencing December 1, 1984, and thereafter within sixty days of the close
of each quarter, the board of trustees shall submit to the joint standing committee of
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the
budgets of state agencies and the Office of Policy and Management, through the Board
of Governors of Higher Education, a report on the actual expenditures of the Regional
Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund containing such relevant information
as the Board of Governors of Higher Education may require.
(d) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at any of the regional
community-technical colleges (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed
forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner
of war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been
accepted for admission to such institution and is a resident of Connecticut at the time
such child is accepted for admission to such institution, (2) for any veteran having served
in time of war, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or who served in either
a combat or combat support role in the invasion of Grenada, October 25, 1983, to December 15, 1983, the invasion of Panama, December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990, or the
peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, September 29, 1982, to March 30, 1984, who has
been accepted for admission to such institution and is domiciled in this state at the
time such veteran is accepted for admission to such institution, (3) for any resident of
Connecticut sixty-two years of age or older, provided, at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than
those persons eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in
which such person intends to enroll and there is space available in such course after
accommodating all such students, (4) for any student attending the Connecticut State
Police Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement program at said academy offered
in coordination with a regional community-technical college which accredits courses
taken in such program, (5) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air
National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant
General's designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled
or accepted for admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an
undergraduate degree-granting program, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) police
officer, as defined in section 7-294a, or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B)
firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j, or member of a volunteer fire company, (C)
municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154, killed in the
line of duty, (7) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse
of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of this state, (8) for any dependent
child of a resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the
intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (9) for
any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who
was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces of the
United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If
any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this
subsection also receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver
shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans described
in subdivision (2) of this subsection and members of the National Guard described in
subdivision (5) of this subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving
tuition waivers in registering for courses at regional community-technical colleges. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30, as used in this subsection, "domiciled in
this state" includes domicile for less than one year.
(e) Said board shall set aside from its anticipated regional community-technical
college tuition revenue, an amount not less than that required by the board of governors'
tuition policy established under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6. Such
funds shall be used to provide tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational
expenses and student employment for residents enrolled in regional community-technical colleges as full or part-time matriculated students in a degree-granting program, or
enrolled in a precollege remedial program, who demonstrate substantial financial need.
Said board may also set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue an additional amount
equal to one per cent of said tuition revenue for financial assistance for students who
would not otherwise be eligible for financial assistance but who do have a financial
need as determined by the college in accordance with this subsection. In determining
such financial need, the college shall exclude the value of equity in the principal residence of the student's parents or legal guardians, or in the student's principal residence
if the student is not considered to be a dependent of his parents or legal guardians and
shall assess the earnings of a dependent student at the rate of thirty per cent.
(f) The Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund shall be reimbursed for the amount by which the tuition waivers granted under subsection (d) of this
section exceed five per cent of tuition revenue through an annual state appropriation.
The board of trustees shall request such an appropriation and said appropriation shall
be based upon an estimate of tuition revenue loss using tuition rates in effect for the
fiscal year in which such appropriation will apply.
(g) Said board of trustees shall allow any student who is a member of the armed
forces called to active duty during any semester to enroll in any course for which such
student had remitted tuition but which was not completed due to active duty status. Such
course reenrollment shall be offered to any qualifying student for a period not exceeding
four years after the date of release from active duty without additional tuition, student
fee or related charge, except if such student has been fully reimbursed for the tuition,
fees and charges for the course that was not completed.
(February, 1965, P.A. 330, S. 28; 1969, P.A. 530, S. 3; June, 1971, P.A. 5, S. 125; P.A. 73-542, S. 1; P.A. 74-266, S.
1, 5; 74-282, S. 1; P.A. 75-484, S. 1, 5; P.A. 76-181, S. 1, 5; 76-313, S. 2, 3; P.A. 77-573, S. 24, 30; P.A. 78-175, S. 1, 5;
78-331, S. 45, 58; P.A. 81-157, S. 1, 14; 81-252, S. 1, 5; 81-468, S. 8, 11; P.A. 82-218, S. 37, 46; 82-463, S. 1, 7; P.A. 83-457, S. 1, 6; P.A. 84-241, S. 2, 5; 84-365, S. 2, 12; 84-438, S. 1, 5; P.A. 85-553, S. 1, 5; P.A. 86-325, S. 1, 5; P.A. 87-450,
S. 7, 17; P.A. 88-136, S. 20. 37; P.A. 89-260, S. 24, 41; 89-380, S. 2, 7; P.A. 90-147, S. 4, 5, 20; P.A. 91-174, S. 7, 16;
91-208, S. 5, 11; 91-256, S. 16, 69; 91-303, S. 6, 22; 91-407, S. 29, 42; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 16, 22; P.A. 92-126,
S. 24, 48; P.A. 93-293, S. 3, 7, 11; P.A. 96-244, S. 59, 63; P.A. 97-247, S. 19, 27; P.A. 00-204, S. 10, 13; P.A. 01-173, S.
31, 67; P.A. 02-126, S. 6; P.A. 03-19, S. 22; 03-33, S. 1; 03-69, S. 1; 03-278, S. 128; P.A. 04-27, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A.
05-3, S. 16; P.A. 06-141, S. 3; P.A. 08-71, S. 1.)
History: 1969 act allowed board to set fees other than tuition and made all fees subject to approval of commission for
higher education; 1971 act set tuition fees at $200 or less for state residents and at $850 or more for nonresidents and
deleted provision for remission of fees for deserving students; P.A. 73-542 added Subsecs. (b) and (c) concerning waiver
of fees for veterans and for dependents of missing-in-action persons or former prisoners of war; P.A. 74-266 made former
Subsec. (c) provisions a subdivision of Subsec. (b); P.A. 74-282 amended Subsec. (b) to waive fees for persons 62 or older
under certain conditions; P.A. 75-484 added Subsec. (c) re waiver of fees for those in financial need; P.A. 76-181 amended
Subsec. (a) to change residents' fees to not less than $250 and nonresidents' fees to not less than $950 with the increase
to be included in appropriations for community colleges for educational purposes and amended Subsec. (c) to raise from
1% to 10% the number of enrolled students whose fees may be waived; P.A. 76-313 amended Subsec. (b) to include waiver
of fees for students attending the state police academy; P.A. 77-573 substituted board of higher education for commission
for higher education; P.A. 78-175 substituted veteran "having served in time of war" for "Vietnam era" veteran in Subsec.
(b); P.A. 78-331 clarified board with "of trustees" in Subsecs. (b) and (c) to avoid possible confusion with board of higher
education; P.A. 81-157 required that student be "matriculated student" for waiver of fees to apply in Subsec. (c) and rewrote
provision limiting waivers to change limit basis from certain number of students, i.e.10%, to amount of tuition payable by
10% of full-time students; P.A. 81-252 amended Subsec. (b) to authorize waiver of tuition for eligible members of the
Connecticut army or air national guard and to provide for reduction of waiver when eligible person receives educational
reimbursement from employer; P.A. 81-468 amended Subsec. (a) increasing tuition fees from $250 to $300 for residents
and from $950 to $1,140 for nonresidents; P.A. 82-218 reorganized system of higher education, replacing board of higher
education with board of governors, effective March 1, 1983; P.A. 82-463 amended Subsec. (c) to restrict waivers to
"resident" students enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in a degree-granting program or in a precollege remedial
program, and to include part-time students in calculation of total waiver amount; Sec. 10-38h transferred to Sec. 10a-77
in 1983; P.A. 83-457 amended Subsec. (c) to repeal provision that tuition waived or remitted shall not exceed 10% of
tuition revenue payable by number of full-time and part-time resident students matriculated in degree-granting programs
and enrolled in precollege remedial programs at the regional community colleges for the current academic year, and
substituted provision that tuition waived or remitted shall not exceed 10% of tuition revenue due during the preceding
year, including revenue lost due to tuition waivers and remissions, adjusted for tuition changes, or the appropriation to the
regional community colleges for the current fiscal year for tuition waiver or remittance, whichever is less, and added
provision that only the funds in the scholarship aid tuition refund account may be used for the purposes of this section;
P.A. 84-241 added "of higher education" to board of governors' title; P.A. 84-365 inserted new Subsecs. (b) and (c)
establishing a tuition fund for the regional community colleges, relettering the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and deleting
provisions in Subsec. (a) which required inclusion in community colleges appropriation of tuition above stated amounts
and in Subsec. (e) (formerly (c)) which limited tuition waivers and remittances to the amount appropriated for the purpose;
P.A. 84-438 amended Subsec. (b) authorizing tuition waivers for veterans who served in Grenada or Lebanon; P.A. 85-553 inserted new Subsec. (e) which required board to set aside from its anticipated tuition fund revenue an amount not
less than that required by the board of governors' tuition policy to provide funds for tuition waivers and remissions, grants
for educational expenses and student employment, replacing former provisions re waiver or remittance of tuition; P.A.
86-325 in Subsec. (b) increased 2% of the expenditure level to 102% and added Subsec. (f) to provide for reimbursement
of the tuition fund for waivers; P.A. 87-450 in Subsec. (b) provided that the expenditure authority may be increased by
the amount the fund income exceeds the authority rather than by the amount the income exceeds the authority up to 2%
and eliminated the transfer of fund income for student financial aid; P.A. 88-136 deleted obsolete provision in Subsec. (b)
re tuition revenue received for the 1984-1985 academic year; P.A. 89-260 substituted "board of trustees of the community-technical colleges" for "board of trustees of the regional community colleges" and specified that the section applies to
tuition and students at the regional community colleges; P.A. 89-380 in Subsec. (b) substituted "fund balance or projected
fund balance, including reserves and interest earnings from investments" for "fund income, including interest earnings
from investments" as the amount which must exceed the expenditure authority in order for the authority to be increased
by the board of trustees and provided that if the authority is increased it be increased by the amount that the fund balance
rather than the fund income exceeds the expenditure authority, in Subsec. (d) amended Subdiv. (3) to provide that tuition
waivers for persons 62 years of age or older be only on a space available basis and deleted provision that they be granted
for any such person who is enrolled in a degree-granting program and made a technical change and in Subsec. (f) provided
for reimbursement for the amount by which tuition waivers exceed 5% rather than 2.5% of the fund; P.A. 90-147 in Subsec.
(b) expanded the authority of the board of trustees to increase expenditures from the tuition fund beyond the governor's
recommended expenditure authority and in Subsec. (d) required that a person 62 years of age or older be a resident of the
state to be eligible for a tuition waiver; P.A. 91-174 in Subsec. (a) deleted requirement for approval by the board of governors
of higher education; P.A. 91-208 in Subsec. (e) added provision concerning the set aside of 1% of tuition revenue for
financial assistance and specifying how financial need is to be determined; P.A. 91-256 removed provision for a tuition
fund and established an operating fund, in Subsec. (a) deleted requirement for fees to be approved by the board of governors
of higher education and made technical changes throughout section; P.A. 91-303 in Subsec. (d)(1) removed requirement
of residency at the time of entering the armed forces and substituted requirement that the child be a resident of the state at
the time of acceptance to the institution, in Subsec. (d)(2) added dates of the actions in Grenada and Lebanon, added
reference to Panama and removed requirement that the veteran be a resident at the time he entered the armed forces or be
a resident while serving and in Subsec. (d) (3) added requirement that a sufficient number of students other than those
eligible for a waiver be enrolled to offer the course; P.A. 91-407 amended Subsec. (b) to add exception re appropriation
for personal services; June Sp. Sess. 91-7 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for the deposit of federal funds and grants for
purposes other than research in the fund; P.A. 92-126 changed the references to "community college" to "community-technical college", removed language specifying the tuition in Subsec. (a) and added requirement in Subsec. (b) that
appropriations for the community-technical colleges and the higher education center in the central Naugatuck Valley region
be deposited in the fund; P.A. 93-293 amended Subsec. (b) to delete a reference to the higher education center in the central
Naugatuck Valley region and added Subsec. (d)(6) re dependent child of a police officer or firefighter killed in the line of
duty, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-244 amended Subsec. (d) to provide that veterans and members of the National Guard
have the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses, effective June 6, 1996; P.A. 97-247 amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 00-204 amended Subsec. (d) to designate
existing provisions of Subdiv. (6) as Subparas. (A) and (B) and to add Subparas. (C) and (D) re municipal employee and
state employee, respectively, and to make technical changes, effective June 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (d)(6)
to include a dependent child of a supernumerary police officer or auxiliary police officer or of a member of a volunteer
fire company, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 02-126 added Subsec. (d)(7) requiring tuition waiver for any state resident who
is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a state resident, effective June 7, 2002;
P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (d)(6)(A), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 03-33 added Subsec. (g) re course
reenrollment for students who are members of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester; P.A. 03-69
amended Subsec. (b) to revise provisions re deposit in the operating fund of the amount of appropriations for operating
expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits and to add provisions re deposit in the operating fund of the
amount of appropriations for workers' compensation, re review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management and by the State Treasurer and re transfer from the Comptroller, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 03-278 changed
effective date of P.A. 03-33, S. 1 from October 1, 2003, to May 12, 2003; P.A. 04-27 made a technical change in Subsec.
(g), effective April 28, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (d)(2) by replacing language re residency with
language re domicile, amended Subsec. (d)(5) by replacing language re residency in Subpara. (A) with language re the
Adjutant General in existing Subpara. (B) and redesignating existing Subpara. (C) as new Subpara. (B) and amended
Subsec. (d)(7) by adding language describing "domiciled in this state", effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-141 amended Subsec.
(d) by adding Subdiv. (8) re dependents of victims of multivehicle crash in Avon, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 08-71
amended Subsec. (d) by adding Subdiv. (9) re tuition waiver applicable to resident of state who is dependent child or
surviving spouse of armed forces member killed in action on or after September 11, 2001, effective July 1, 2008.
See Sec. 4-73a re determination of actual rate for fringe benefits for funds of the constituent units of the state system
of higher education.
See Sec. 10a-104b for definition of "specified terrorist victim".