HCS SCS SB 733 -- HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

SPONSOR:  Pearce (Kingery)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Higher
Education by a vote of 8 to 4.

This substitute changes the laws regarding the Higher Education
Academic Scholarship Program, commonly known as the Bright Flight
Scholarship Program, and the Access Missouri Financial Assistance
Program.

BRIGHT FLIGHT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

A student must be a Missouri resident in order to be eligible for
a Bright Flight scholarship, and eligibility is extended to
students who have received a General Education Development (GED)
diploma or completed a homeschooling program.  A student's
qualifying score for the scholarship will be determined at the
beginning of his or her last year of high school.  Currently, a
student scoring in the top 4% and 5% of Missouri ACT or SAT
test-takers will receive a $1,000 scholarship.  The substitute
clarifies that all students in the top 3% will receive their
awards before any student in the top fourth or fifth percentiles
receives any award.

Currently, a student is allowed to receive a renewal scholarship
for three more years.  The substitute allows renewal for as long
as the student is in compliance with the program's renewal
requirements.  If a scholarship recipient cannot attend because
of military service, the student will receive the scholarship if
he or she returns to full-time status within six months after
ending military service, verifying to the Coordinating Board for
Higher Education that the service was satisfactorily completed.

ACCESS MISSOURI FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Currently, students at public four-year institutions, including
Linn State Technical College, and private institutions receive a
maximum amount of financial assistance awards of $2,150 and
$4,600 respectively from the Access Missouri Financial Assistance
Program.  Beginning with the 2014-2015 academic year, the
substitute combines the categories for these schools into one
with a $2,850 maximum and a $1,500 minimum award and increases
the maximum award for community colleges from $1,000 to $1,300.
Any award amount will be reduced by the amount of a student's
payment from the A+ Schools Program or any successor program.

Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the substitute
revises the grade required for renewing an Access Missouri award
from a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) on a four-point scale to
maintaining satisfactory academic progress for those scholarship
recipients who have less than 60 semester hours while retaining
the 2.5 GPA for those with 60 semester hours or more.
Satisfactory academic progress is to be defined by the
institution of attendance but cannot be lower than a 2.0 on a
four-point scale.  The substitute clarifies that the required GPA
for the renewal of other assistance programs will continue to be
2.5.  In order to award the additional scholarships as a result
of the revised GPA requirement, award amounts will be refigured
within the annual appropriation amount.

The substitute repeals the current expiration date of the Access
Missouri Financial Assistance Program and specifies that any
provisions regarding a termination date will not apply to that
program.

The substitute contains an emergency clause for the provisions
regarding the revised requirements for renewing an Access
Missouri award.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Cost on General Revenue Fund of $9,000 in
FY 2011, $18,000 in FY 2012, and $27,000 in FY 2013.  No impact
on Other State Funds in FY 2011, FY 2012, and FY 2013.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the language extending the
scholarship to accommodate military service is patterned on an
existing extension.  Because of the state of the economy, the
clarification of the funding priority is important.

Testifying for the bill were Senator Pearce; Department of Higher
Education; University of Missouri; and Associated Students of the
University of Missouri.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:14 pm