113th General Assembly
Policy Update

March 3, 2023

Dual Enrollment Bill Unanimously Passes Senate

The Senate took action during Monday’s chamber session to unanimously pass TICUA’s proposed dual enrollment bill. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ed Jackson. SB1408/HB097 seeks to address the recent changes to the Dual Enrollment Grant. In the previous session, the General Assembly increased the amount of the grant to match the tuition charges of the public community colleges but also set the increased grant amount as a cap on the amount that can be charged for the courses. Without state subsidies, it is difficult for some TICUA members to recoup the necessary funds to pay for certain courses. Consequently, TICUA is requesting that the cap be removed from private colleges and universities. The house companion bill has been placed on notice in the house Higher Education Subcommittee for Monday, March 6, and will be presented by Rep. William Slater, who is sponsoring the bill.

Minority Teaching Fellows

SB231/HB276 changes the amount of a minority teaching fellowship award from $5,000 to the cost of tuition and fees at a public university. This improvement will be for minority students enrolled in a degree program leading to licensure as a teacher at a college or university with an approved educator preparation program. The aid at a TICUA member program will be capped at the average cost of tuition and fees at public universities. The proposed change comes from Sen. Yarbro and Rep. Sam McKenzie.

The fiscal note has been amended to change the program from a scholarship/loan award to purely a scholarship, which has no repayment obligations. The amended fiscal note is expected to be placed on the house bill during Monday’s Higher Education Subcommittee. The senate companion bill is on the Senate Education calendar but is expected to be rolled to the following week.

WGU Bill to be Heard by Senate Education Committee

Sen. Bo Watson and Rep. Chris Hurt have revived efforts to allow Western Governors University (WGU) access to the Hope Scholarship program (SB112/HB116). If passed, the bill would change the definition of an eligible institution for Hope Scholarships. The bill would make an exception to the Tennessee domiciled requirement for eligibility. WGU is an accredited university by a former regional accreditor. However, it is headquartered in Utah, thus currently making it an ineligible university. TICUA has remained opposed to altering the definition of eligible institutions.

The bill carries a hefty $3.3 million fiscal note, but more concerning is that it would open the door to other non-Tennessee domiciled accredited institutions operating in Tennessee to request access to the scholarship program. At last count, there are more than 50 colleges and universities accredited by a former regional accreditor operating in Tennessee with on-ground and/or online programs. Some of these include the University of Arkansas, Troy State University, Lindsay Wilson College, BIOLA University, and Bellarmine University.

The bill is slated to be considered by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, March 8. The house companion bill has been assigned to the lottery calendar of the Higher Education Subcommittee. The house bill is unlikely to be considered for a few more weeks.