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Rep. Gettle outlines proposal to help students facing unexpected pregnancy continue higher education
Summary
Representative Shane Gettle presented a draft higher-education amendment to create a grant program to help students who experience an unexpected pregnancy or who are parenting young children continue college, proposing a $5 million fund and multiple grant rounds over the biennium; lawmakers discussed piloting the program.
Representative Shane Gettle presented a proposal to the Appropriations Education & Environment Division for a higher-education grant program to support students who experience an unexpected pregnancy or who are parenting young children so they can continue their education.
Gettle described a draft amendment that would create a program administered through the university system, open to public and private institutions in North Dakota. Eligible students in the proposal would include those who are pregnant unexpectedly while enrolled, enrolled students who give birth while attending school, and students caring for children age 4 and younger. Allowable uses specified in the draft include tuition, room and board, books, fees and on‑campus child care where available; institutions would submit plans and progress reports to receive grants.
Budget and timing: Gettle said the draft proposes a $5 million appropriation with four grant rounds (first round deadline 8/31/2025) and full expenditure by June 30, 2027. He described the concept as effectively scholarship funding targeted at students facing pregnancy or parenting needs and suggested modeling the program as a pilot to collect data on demand across institutions.
Committee discussion: Members asked whether institutions already provide similar supports. Gettle and committee staff said some institutions have programs or ad hoc supports — University of Mary was cited as an example — but no uniform statewide program exists. Representative Lausser and others asked whether state scholarships already reach private institutions; staff confirmed that most state scholarships are available to both public and private colleges and that the proposed program would operate like other state scholarship models.
Next steps: Committee members suggested pilot modeling and asked Gettle to return with refined amendment language and data on projected demand; no appropriation was made at the hearing.
