Committee hears bill to raise caps on Access Missouri need-based scholarship; sponsors and higher-education groups support increases

Representative Brenda Shields introduced House Bill 265, a proposal to raise statutory caps on the Access Missouri need‑based scholarship.

Shields told the committee that Access Missouri, established in 2007, is awarded to full‑time Missouri students who meet the program's student aid index threshold. She said the program's statutory caps have not been updated since 2013 and that tuition increases and full funding of the program in 2022 mean the caps should be adjusted to allow the program to grow. Shields said roughly 40,000 Missouri students use the scholarship annually and that the program's awards operate on a sliding scale.

Testimony in support came from Katie Gamble of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Missouri, Chris Ropey of the Missouri Community College Association and Otto Phagen of Missouri NEA. Witnesses urged updating the cap to reflect current costs while noting the legislature is not required to fully fund the program each year. Gamble and Ropey said details about why State Technical College of Missouri is treated differently in existing statute (it has been treated for award-amount purposes more like a 4‑year institution) require follow-up; Ropey told the committee he expected to discuss a possible amendment before executive action.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about when the cap was last adjusted (Shields said 2013), program administration (qualifications verified annually through the coordinating board and FAFSA/student aid index), and the differences in award levels for 2‑year, 4‑year and State Tech students. Shields provided proposed cap increases during her presentation: she described raising the maximum award for students attending institutions currently treated as 4‑year or State Tech to $3,500 (an increase she described in committee testimony as a $650 increase) and raising the 2‑year maximum to $1,700 (a $400 increase compared with the figure stated in testimony). She also said the program’s annual average scholarship award is about $2,038.

No witnesses testified in formal opposition during the hearing portion recorded in the transcript. Several committee members noted the historical reasons for State Tech’s treatment — including differences in tuition rates and local tax support for community colleges — and committee members and witnesses indicated they would follow up on possible statutory technical clarifications and amendments.