House Bill 1048 Summary

• Establishes the Indiana Lifelong Learning Incentive for Excellence (LIFE) scholarship program to provide postsecondary education scholarships to Indiana residents, administered by the Commission for Higher Education.

• Creates the LIFE scholarship fund consisting of slot machine wagering taxes collected after June 30, 2013, and riverboat admissions taxes that would have otherwise gone to the state general fund.

• Sets scholarship amounts based on institution type: full tuition and fees for state institutions, average of four highest state university tuition plus fees for nonprofit private institutions, and Ivy Tech Community College tuition and fees for for-profit institutions.

• Establishes eligibility requirements including U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status, Indiana residency, Selective Service compliance, no federal student loan defaults, and no felony drug convictions or incarceration.

• Requires freshman applicants to graduate from eligible Indiana high schools, earn a GED, or achieve a 3.0 GPA at postsecondary institutions; sophomore students must maintain 3.0 GPA and satisfactory academic progress, with scholarships available through 91 quarter hours or 61 semester hours.