JEFFERSON CITY—A bill that would make changes to two of the state’s major higher education scholarship programs advanced in the Legislature today.
Senate Bill 733, sponsored by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), was passed by the House and now moves back to the Senate for a final vote of approval. If the Senate agrees to the House’s changes, the bill will be sent to the governor’s desk for his signature. If the House’s version is not accepted by the Senate, a compromise will need to be worked out in a conference committee before a final version is passed.
The bill would first make changes to the Bright Flight Scholarship Program, a merit-based program that encourages top-ranked high school seniors to attend approved Missouri colleges and universities. It specifies that a student must be a Missouri resident in order to be eligible for a scholarship, and it expands scholarship eligibility to individuals who have received a GED, or completed a homeschooling program of study, secondary coursework through Missouri’s Virtual Public School, or any other academic program that satisfies the compulsory attendance law.
In addition, SB 733 provides that all students in the top 3 percent of Missouri ACT or SAT test-takers will receive awards prior to any student in the top 4 or 5 percent receiving an award (current law provides that in fiscal year 2011 and beyond, a student scoring in the top 4 and 5 percent of Missouri ACT or SAT test-takers will receive a $1,000 scholarship).
The bill also specifies that if a Bright Flight scholarship recipient cannot attend an approved institution because of military service, the student would still receive the scholarship if he or she returns to full-time status within six months of ending military service.
The second major part of the bill changes and equalizes the financial aid amounts offered through the Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program, which is a need-based program designed to increase accessibility to a student’s school of choice. It maintains current aid amounts through the 2013–2014 school year, and adds new financial assistance amounts for the 2014-2015 academic year and beyond. Under the new aid amounts, a student attending a public two-year school would receive between $300 and $1,300, while a student attending a public four-year school, or an approved private school, would be eligible for an award of $2,850 maximum and $1,500 minimum.
The Second Regular Session of the 95th Missouri General Assembly runs through May 14, 2010. For more information about the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or e-mail newsroom@senate.mo.gov.
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