HB 101: Establish Law Student Encouragement Scholarship Pilot Program

As Introduced

Regular Session H. B. No. 101

Representatives Mohamed, Williams

Cosponsors: Representatives Brennan, Rogers, Sigrist, Synenberg, Thomas, C., Upchurch

A B I L L

To establish the Law Student Encouragement 1
Scholarship Pilot Program and to make an 2
appropriation. 3

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. All items in this act are hereby appropriated 4
as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the 5
credit of the designated fund. For all operating appropriations 6
made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 7
2026 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2027. 8
The operating appropriations made in this act are in addition to 9
any other operating appropriations made for these fiscal years. 10

Section 2. 11

H. B. No. 101 Page 2

As Introduced

C GRF 235440 Law Student Encouragement \$0 \$350,000
Scholarship Pilot Program
D TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund \$0 \$350,000
E TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS \$0 \$350,000
LAW STUDENT ENCOURAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PILOT PROGRAM 13
(A) The foregoing appropriation item 235440, Law Student 14
Encouragement Scholarship Pilot Program, shall be used by the 15
Chancellor of Higher Education to establish the Law Student 16
Encouragement Scholarship Pilot Program to support 17
underrepresented undergraduate students pursuing admission to 18
law school. 19
(B) Under the pilot program, the Chancellor shall 20
distribute money from the foregoing appropriation item 235440, 21
Law Student Encouragement Scholarship Pilot Program, to the Ohio 22
State Bar Association, which shall do all of the following: 23
(1) Establish procedures and criteria for awarding 24
scholarships under the pilot program; 25
(2) Select an initial cohort of ten to twenty Ohio 26
resident students from groups who are underrepresented in the 27
legal profession who are enrolled full-time at a baccalaureate 28
degree-granting postsecondary institution in this state; 29
(3) Provide each of the program's students with an 30
academic scholarship in the amount of $\$4$ ,000 per academic year; 31
(4) Organize events and programming, including one-on-one 32
mentoring to familiarize enrolled students with law school and 33
legal careers; 34

H. B. No. 101 As Introduced

(5) Provide the program's students free test preparation 35
materials, academic support, and registration for the Law School 36
Admission Test (LSAT) examination. 37
(C) The Ohio State Bar Association may use a portion of 38
the funds it receives under this section to employ staff to 39
support the program's operations. 40
(D) Not later than January 30, 2028, the Ohio State Bar 41
Association shall submit a report to the Chancellor and to the 42
chairpersons and ranking members of the Senate and House of 43
Representatives standing committees that consider higher 44
education legislation. The report shall include an accurate and 45
detailed account of the pilot program, its outcomes, and its 46
revenues and expenses, including the use of all state moneys 47
appropriated in this section. 48
Section 3. Within the limits set forth in this act, the 49
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts 50
indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation 51
made in this act, and shall determine the manner in which 52
appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from 53
operating appropriations contained in this act shall be 54
accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all 55
applicable provisions of, the main operating appropriations act 56
of the 136th General Assembly. 57