Senate advances bill to subsidize concurrent college credit using workforce lottery funds

Senate Bill 343, presented to the Senate Education Committee, would create a concurrent‑credit scholarship program to reduce the cost of college courses taken while students are in high school.

Senator Stearch told the committee the proposal draws on excess lottery proceeds in a workforce challenge fund and would cover up to $125 per course after institutional discounts. The sponsor said the program is intended to preserve "skin in the game" by students while reducing financial barriers that prevent some low‑income students from enrolling in concurrent credit classes. The sponsor cited research and a BLR survey of institutions that found large variance in how concurrent credit is priced.

Roger Rich, superintendent of Southside School District, described a five‑year local partnership with UACCB that used a sliding fee based on ability to pay and led to higher enrollments, certificate completions and quicker time to degree. Chancellor Deborah Frazier said the college used alternative admission criteria at times (ACT score, GPA or other measures) and stressed the partnership produced meaningful outcomes for students.

The bill would allow participating colleges to offer 50% discounts on mandatory fees and tuition; scholarship dollars would be used to cover the remainder up to $125 per course. The sponsor said the workforce challenge fund held roughly $38,000,000 as of Dec. 31 and the program would be administered using those existing funds. Committee members asked about eligibility criteria, retroactivity and whether private fundraising by institutions would be preserved. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

The transcript indicates voice votes and supportive statements from multiple members; the record does not show a roll‑call tally.