SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1675
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES HARRIS (23) (Sponsor) AND STORCH (Co-sponsor).
Read 1st time February 6, 2006 and copies ordered printed.
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
4871L.02I
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the twenty-first
century Missouri scholars program.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
known as section 173.191, to read as follows:
173.191. 1. There is hereby established the "Twenty-first Century Missouri
Scholars Program" to be administered by the department of higher education. A student
who meets the following criteria is eligible for the program:
(1) Is a resident of Missouri and a citizen of the United States or a lawful
permanent resident;
(2) Is a student enrolled in grade seven or eight in a school district or private school
in Missouri, and agrees in writing, on a document also signed by the student's parent or
guardian, that the student will:
(a) Graduate from a public or private high school in Missouri with a curricula that
meets the admission criteria of a community college or a public institution of higher
education;
(b) Achieve a cumulative grade point average on graduation of at least two point
zero on a four point grading scale, or its equivalent if another grading scale is used, for
courses taken by the student in grades nine through twelve;
(c) Not illegally use controlled substances;
(d) Not use tobacco products;
(e) Not operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated;
(f) Not be adjudicated as a delinquent, not become a runaway child, or not become
a truant;
(3) Is a child receiving foster care services paid for by the state or funded in whole
or in part under Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act, or is a child eligible for free
or reduced price meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal Child
Nutrition Act of 1966;
(4) Applies in a timely manner for admission to a public community college or a
public institution of higher education in the state of Missouri;
(5) Applies in a timely manner for any federal and state student financial assistance
available to the student to attend a public community college, or public institution of
higher education in the state Missouri;
(6) Files a new application, and parents confidential statement as applicable,
annually on the basis of which the applicant's eligibility for a renewed scholarship shall be
evaluated and determined.
2. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the "Twenty-first Century
Missouri Scholars Fund" as a separate fund under the control of the commissioner of
higher education. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated and made available to
the commissioner of higher education for scholarships under this section. The state
treasurer shall be custodian of the fund and shall disburse moneys from the fund in
accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, RSMo. Upon appropriation, moneys in the
fund shall be used solely for scholarships for students meeting all of the requirements of
this section, including meeting the requirements of subdivision (2) of subsection 1 of this
section. Scholarships awarded under this section shall not exceed the resident tuition rate
and mandatory fees for the program of enrollment established for public institutions of
higher education in this state.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080, RSMo, to the contrary, any
moneys remaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of
the general revenue fund.
(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as other
funds are invested. Any interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be credited
to the fund.
3. If the commissioner finds that a student receiving a scholarship under the
program discontinues attendance before the end of any academic period or has violated
the agreement signed under subsection 1 of this section, but the discontinuance or violation
of the agreement occurs after scholarship moneys have been paid for the academic period,
the entire amount of any refund due the student, up to the amount of any payments made
by the state, shall be remitted by the postsecondary institution to the commissioner.
4. A qualified resident student in good standing at a public community college or
public institution of higher education in this state may receive scholarships for not more
than eight semesters of undergraduate study or the trimester or quarter equivalent if
attending an institution on a full-time basis, or for not more than sixteen semesters of
undergraduate study or the trimester or quarter equivalent if attending on a part-time
basis. A qualified resident student may defer acceptance of scholarships awarded under
this section for up to two years following the student's graduation from high school so that
the student may pursue military or other obligations.
5. Each public community college or public institution of higher education which
enrolls a student receiving a scholarship in accordance with this section shall develop a
specific mentoring program to assist the scholarship recipients through particularized
academic and social counseling.
6. The commissioner of higher education may promulgate rules to implement the
provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section
536.010, RSMo, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become
effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536,
RSMo, and, if applicable, section 536.028, RSMo. This section and chapter 536, RSMo, are
nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to
chapter 536, RSMo, to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule
are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any
rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2006, shall be invalid and void.
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