Mo. Senate passes expanded adult scholarship program

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Seeking to bolster the workforce, the Missouri Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would extend and expand a scholarship program for adults to finish college degrees or get the advanced training needed for jobs.

The Fast Track grant program, which was created three years ago, is due to expire in August but would be prolonged for seven more years under the legislation that will go to the House. It passed the Senate by a 24-8 vote.

The bill would expand eligibility beyond college courses to apprenticeships and training programs, and would remove financial penalties for those who don't get a job and remain in Missouri.

"We have a worker shortage, a talent pool shortage," said Republican Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield who sponsored the bill. "The more avenues that we can give individuals to get the certificates that they need to better themselves and their families is a better thing for the economy and a better thing for our communities."

The scholarships are available for up to four semesters to people who are at least 25 years old or have not been enrolled in an educational program the previous two years. The grants are limited to those earning less than $40,000 annually for individuals or $80,000 for married couples.

The program had provided grants to 774 students, as of Dec. 31, at an average award of $3,143, according to the state Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who championed the original program, had called for it to be permanently extended. He said during his State of the State speech last month the program saw a 65% increase in participants in 2021. Eighty percent of grant recipients were women and 50% were first-generation college students, he said.

The current budget includes $5.7 million for the program.

But Hough said some people have been apprehensive about applying because of a provision converting the grants to loans if recipients don't graduate, get a job and remain in Missouri for at least three years. The legislation would repeal those conditions but would require recipients to be Missouri residents for two years before they could receive a grant, with an exception for military members transferred to Missouri.

Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg was one of eight Republicans voting against the bill. He noted, among other things, the legislation removes some of the "taxpayer protections" included when the program was adopted in 2019.