Gov. Rose Mofford of Arizona has signed into law a bill proposed by students at the state’s three public universities that will place a 1 percent surcharge on their registration fees to finance a new student-aid fund.
Under the measure, half of all revenues collected each year will be placed in an endowment and the other half disbursed in the form of loans and grants. Lawmakers agreed to contribute up to $1 million to the fund next year.
Governor Mofford also approved a bill requiring that all new school employees be fingerprinted.
The measure, to take effect next year, will also require new school employees and newly certified teachers and administrators to pay for the procedure. The fingerprints are to be checked against those in a national, computerized crime database.
