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JBC authorizes bill drafting to limit Innovation Pilot payments and preserve limited scholarships
Summary
Committee members approved drafting authority to make the Fourth Year Innovation Pilot school payments subject to appropriation and to allow a short window for eligible students to claim scholarships; the committee voted to move forward on drafting and to consider specifics in figure setting.
Amanda Bickle summarized the Fourth Year Innovation Pilot’s origin, participation history and intended incentives for low‑income students. She said participation has dropped and that only about 30% of eligible students have claimed scholarships to date. Lawmakers questioned whether the pilot is producing intended outcomes and debated whether to continue school payments or keep a short-lived student scholarship window.
Vice Chair Bridges moved for drafting authority to change the program so school payments are subject to available appropriation and to allow students who already graduated early to claim scholarships for a limited time; the committee approved that motion and authorized staff to draft bill language. Bickle told members that student scholarship claims so far have been small ("a couple $100,000 a year") and estimated that preserving scholarships for one more year would cost on the order of $200,000–$300,000.
Members indicated concerns about perverse incentives and equitable outcomes. Several said the program’s data did not show clear benefits to justify ongoing expansion; others cautioned that cutting payments for students who already relied on the program could harm families. The motion to authorize drafting passed 6–0. The committee will consider the specific bill language and timing during figure setting.
