March 28, 2024

House Higher Education Committee Closes

The House Higher Education Subcommittee completed their work and adjourned to the call of the Chair.  Several bills which were on the special scholarship/lottery calendar were considered.

• HB1912/SB2670, allows Tennessee HOPE scholarship students who earned their first baccalaureate degree in less than five years from initial enrollment and graduated between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, to continue to receive the scholarship for graduate studies. The student must reenroll at an eligible postsecondary institution, be in pursuit of an advanced degree, and continue to meet all other applicable eligibility requirements. The bill was passed on to the House Education Administration Committee.

• HB2180/SB2659, expands the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship pilot program to include Western Governors University. The aid program provides last dollar funding for students during their final two years of their teacher training. Student recipients must commit to serving in a high-need area of the state. This is year one of a five-year pilot and currently only one student has signed up for the program. Rep. Harold Love asked representatives of WGU if this was a step toward getting included in the lottery funded scholarship funds. They indicated that they had no plans to seek inclusion to the Hope Scholarship program. With that assurance, the bill moved to the House Education Administration Committee where it will be placed on next week’s agenda.

• HB1809/SB1752, extends eligibility for the Tennessee Promise scholarship to students who are enrolled full-time in a private, for-profit trade school. The school must be approved by the Tennessee state board of cosmetology and barber examiners. This provision specifically addresses the Knoxville location of AVEDA Institutes. This is a national for-profit chain headquartered in Minnesota.  TICUA opposes the inclusion of any educational program into lottery scholarship funds which is not domiciled in Tennessee. The bill was taken off notice since the Senate Education Committee had already removed it from consideration.

• HB2179/SB2327, provides for dual enrollment participation for qualified high school freshmen. The bill requires high school students to complete the eighth grade and be admitted to an eligible postsecondary institution as a dual enrollment student to qualify for a dual enrollment grant. The bill was passed and sent to the House Education Administration Committee.

• HB2132/SB1672, reduces, from 23 to 21, the minimum age required for a student to be eligible for the Tennessee Reconnect grant. In early February the Senate Education Committee passed the bill to Finance but this week the House Higher Education Subcommittee took the bill off notice. This action essentially kills the bill for this General Assembly.

Gun Bill Fails

HB1904/SB2180 exempts persons who are authorized to carry a firearm from criminal offense if they possess a handgun on a college or university property that is properly posted prohibiting weapons on campus. The person with the handgun must have either a handgun permit or enhanced handgun carry permit.  Too, the weapon must be possessed in a concealed manner. If passed, the bill would override punitive actions for carrying handguns on campus. TICUA expressed opposition to the measure. The bill failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on a vote of 4 ayes, 3 noes, and 2 present and not voting.