Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee advances bill that would require some TOPS recipients to repay state scholarship funds
Loading...
Summary
House Bill 385 would require TOPS recipients who forfeit eligibility without qualifying exemptions to repay scholarship dollars unless they enroll in certain LCTCS high‑wage programs; the committee adopted an amendment exempting honors/excellence awards and reported the bill with a 6–5 roll-call vote.
The House Education Committee voted to report House Bill 385 with amendments after extensive questioning about who would be liable and what exemptions apply.
Author Representative Brett Bamberg said the proposal is intended to hold students and institutions accountable for a scholarship program that cost taxpayers roughly $320 million a year. "If a student accepts TOPS funds, there is a responsibility to meet the program's requirements," Bamberg said, adding that the bill preserves a long list of existing exemptions including parental leave, medical reasons, disability and substance-abuse treatment. His amendment explicitly exempts honors and excellence scholarships from repayment.
Opponents told the committee they oppose turning merit scholarships into a repayable obligation. James A. Collier, who described his work with scholarship programs nationally, said merit scholarships "are designed for those students who demonstrate academic excellence" and are not repaid when eligibility is lost. "We do not make students pay back merit scholarship monies," Collier said.
Members pressed on mechanical questions: whether repayment would be retroactive to the start of a student's TOPS receipt or limited to the semester in which eligibility was lost; Bamberg said liability would cover the funds drawn to date unless a student qualifies for an exemption or completes a specified LCTCS program. He estimated roughly 13% of TOPS recipients lose scholarships at some point, representing about $40 million in potential recoveries, but acknowledged exemptions would reduce that amount.
After debate, a motion to report HB 385 as amended passed on a roll call recorded in committee: 6 yeas, 5 nays. The committee adopted the amendment exempting honors and excellence awards and adding clarifying enrollment pathways into LCTCS high‑wage programs as an alternative to repayment.
Provenance: topic introduced SEG 462; public testimony and debate SEG 562–933; roll call SEG 981–1023.
Speakers quoted or attributed in this article: Representative Brett Bamberg; James A. Collier; Representative Carlson; Representative Taylor.
Ending: HB 385 was reported with amendments and will be considered by the full House; authors indicated willingness to consider further amendments on repayment timing and exemptions.
