Archived Information Updates
January 8, 2013:
Payment of Spring 2013 Invoices
The Alabama Supreme Court has
been asked to reconsider its March ruling that voided the PACT
settlement. The settlement would have allowed PACT to pay tuition
and mandatory fees at the the fall 2010 rates for all future academic terms.
Pending a final ruling from the Court, PACT will make spring
2013 payments to all in-state public institutions at the
full value of each institution's tuition and qualified fees.
Please continue to follow the official PACT website for the most
current, accurate information.
2013 Tuition and Fees Rates for Out-of-State and
Private Institutions:
The following
amounts will be paid until further notice is received from the
Alabama Supreme Court. Amounts are subject to change due to the
pending court ruling on the PACT settlement.
Tuition
Per Per semester hour: $270.67
Per quarter hour: $180.45
Fees
Fee payment per semester: $134.44
Fee payment per quarter: $89.63
October
4, 2012:
The Alabama Supreme Court has ordered the Montgomery
County Circuit Court Clerk to certify the record from the recent
Circuit Court proceedings, in which Judge Hardwick ruled actions
taken by the Alabama legislature in spring 2012 regarding PACT to
be constitutional. Once the record is certified, each party will
have 21 days to file a brief. We anticipate the deadline to file
will likely be sometime in mid-November. It will then be a matter
of waiting for the Alabama Supreme Court to render a decision in
the case.
September 17, 2012:
UPDATED:
Montgomery Circuit Court Judge issues ruling; case returns
to State Supreme Court
Click
here to read filing.
August 7, 2012:
UPDATED:
Notice of Court Action in Montgomery County Circuit Court
Click
here to read.
July 30, 2012:
Notice of Court Action in Montgomery County Circuit Court
Click
here to read.
July 11, 2012:
PACT Settlement: Alabama Supreme Court grants PACT Board's
rehearing request
The Alabama Supreme Court has agreed to grant a rehearing
of its March 2012 decision to strike down the PACT settlement. The
case now is being remanded to the Circuit Court of Montgomery
County to confirm whether Act 2012-198 is constitutional as
applied to the settlement. Once that determination is made, the
case will be returned to the Alabama Supreme Court for a final
ruling.
In the interim, PACT will continue to make payments to all
in-state public institutions at the full value of each
institution's tuition and qualified fees.
Said State Treasurer and PACT Board Chair Young Boozer, "We are
pleased with the Supreme Court's willingness to re-evaluate its
decision in light of Act 2012-198 being enacted by the
Legislature. This is a positive development for the PACT Program
and moves us closer to a final resolution that will preserve
substantial benefits for all PACT contract beneficiaries. We look
forward to taking the next step in the process of having the
settlement approved."
Please continue to follow the official PACT website for the most
current, accurate information.
Click
here to view the Court's
ruling.
April 25, 2012:
Payment of Summer 2012 Invoices
The Alabama Supreme Court has been asked to reconsider
its March ruling that struck down the PACT settlement. The
settlement would have allowed PACT to pay fall 2010 tuition
and fee rates for all future academic terms.
Pending a final ruling from the Court, PACT will make summer
2012 payments to all in-state public institutions at the
full value of each institution's tuition and qualified fees.
Please continue to follow the official PACT website for the most
current, accurate information.
April 12, 2012:
Gov. Bentley signs House Bill 603 into law
Gov. Robert Bentley today signed into law
House Bill 603, which
directly addresses the issues cited in the Alabama Supreme
Court’s recent
opinion. The Alabama Supreme
Court has been asked to reconsider its original decision, and
legal briefs will be filed on Friday, April 13, as part of that
process. The most recent, accurate information will continue to be
made available on this website.
March 22, 2012:
Bills filed to address issues cited in State Supreme Court
Ruling
We have been working with the Legislature to draft
a bill that would address the issues cited in the Alabama Supreme
Court’s recent
opinion. Identical bills
were filed today in both the House and Senate with the goal of
accomplishing that.
March 21, 2012:
Concerns regarding future PACT payments
The PACT program will make payments of tuition and
qualified fees as specified by
Act 2010-725 unless and/or
until legislative or judicial action is taken that would require
PACT to do otherwise. The latest, official information on the PACT
program will continue to be available on this website.
March 16, 2012:
PACT Settlement: Alabama Supreme Court vacates the trial
court's judgment and remands the case.
Click
here to read
State Treasurer and PACT Board Chair Young Boozer's
comments on the Supreme Court's ruling.
Click
here to view the Court's
ruling.
February 28, 2012:
Rep. Craig Ford introduces PACT-related legislation
House Bill 181
House Bill 361
Please call Rep. Ford's office at (334) 242-7690 with
any questions about the proposed legislation.
January 17, 2012:
The following amounts will be paid
until further notice is received from the Alabama Supreme Court.
Amounts are subject to change due to the pending court ruling on
the PACT settlement.
Tuition
Per semester hour: $247.86
Per quarter hour: $165.24
Fees
Fee payment per semester: $149.33
Fee payment per quarter: $99.55
January 3, 2012:
On November 18, 2011, the Alabama Supreme Court issued
an order which stayed, or put on hold, further application of the PACT
settlement while the case is being reviewed on appeal.
Therefore, all future tuition and mandatory fee payments,
including spring 2012, will be made as specified in Act 2010-725
until such time as the appeal is resolved and/or further
instructions are provided by the Alabama Supreme Court.
Hearing Scheduled
On July 27, 2011,
the Circuit Court of Montgomery County issued
approval of the class settlement
which provided the future payment by PACT of tuition and mandatory fees be made
at the fall 2010 actual rates, and additional amounts to be paid by the PACT
student. PACT complied with the order immediately and paid fall 2011 tuition and
fee invoices as they were received in accordance with the court-approved
settlement.
On November 18,
2011, the Alabama Supreme Court issued
an order which stayed, or put on
hold, further application of the PACT settlement while the case is being
reviewed on appeal. The
stay required that any unpaid invoices as of that date be processed according to
terms prior to the settlement. To
ensure compliance with the order, the PACT Board requested clarification from
the Court concerning the payment of pending invoices.
On December 6,
2011, the Supreme Court denied PACT’s
request for clarification. The Attorney General and the Board’s legal counsel
have advised that we must comply with the order of the Supreme Court and pay any
tuition and fee invoices received after November 18, the date of the stay, at
the tuition and mandatory fee rates of Act 2010-725.
We are processing
the pending fall 2011 invoices. Each
PACT purchaser with a student affected by the court order will receive a letter
sent to the address the purchaser has on file with PACT.
All future
tuition and mandatory fee payments will be made as specified in Act 2010-725
until such time as the appeal is resolved and/or further instructions are
provided by the Alabama Supreme Court.
PACT acknowledges
that this creates confusion about PACT’s payment for the fall 2011 term. However,
PACT has always, and will continue to, abide by any Court issued order. We
await further instructions from the Supreme Court.
Please continue
to follow the PACT website for updates on the pending appeal. The
website also contains copies of Act
2010-725, the
settlement, and other related documents. This
will continue to be the best source for accurate information concerning PACT.
November 29, 2011:
Treas. Boozer's statement regarding the stay issued by the Alabama Supreme Court
in the PACT settlement:
"The PACT program is taking prompt action to comply with the stay. This is
just another step on the path to a final decision. Given the nature of the case,
it is not surprising that the Court is being cautious and conducting a thorough
review. We remain confident that the settlement is in the best interests of all
PACT program participants."
Click here to
read the court document.