The Joint Education Committee on Aug. 21 voted to remove a continuous‑enrollment requirement for the Wyoming Tomorrow scholarship, a change that committee supporters said will make the program more accessible to adult and nontraditional learners.

Tanya Heitrich of the Legislative Service Office presented the bill draft (26 LSO 95) and explained that the change repeals a statutory subsection that required continuous enrollment. The repeal becomes effective automatically because the Hathaway‑related endowment account has met its statutory minimum balance, the staff told members.

Department of Education witnesses flagged operational and administrative questions but generally supported clarifying language. Nish Goya, the Department’s chief policy officer, said coordinators at community colleges and the university had expressed concerns about disbursement mechanics, recordkeeping complexity and potential federal aid conflicts under some lump‑sum concepts — concerns that were relevant to the design of the Tomorrow amendments.

Public testimony included support from the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, which emphasized that many community‑college students are women with family responsibilities and benefit from flexibility.

The committee approved the bill on a roll‑call vote. The clerk recorded 10 ayes and 4 no votes. Committee members directed staff to coordinate with the Department of Education and community colleges on implementation details.

Why it matters: The Wyoming Tomorrow program is designed to expand access for adult learners and nontraditional students. Removing a continuous‑enrollment rule reduces a barrier for students who must pause studies for work, family or military service.

Next steps: The bill will proceed through the Legislature per regular rules; the House or Senate chamber assignment was not specified during the meeting.