Education; allow academically successful students who are concurrently seeking certain degrees to use the full number of hours of HOPE scholarship eligibility; provisions

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026, and the applicable academic year was updated from 2026-2027 to 2027-2028.

Text was corrected to remove redundant phrasing and improve clarity regarding students earning a baccalaureate or first professional degree and their eligibility for HOPE scholarship hours.

Minor text adjustments were made to the section describing disability-related waivers for HOPE scholarship year limits, improving readability without changing the underlying policy.

Added language to clarify that students can use full HOPE scholarship hours when pursuing both bachelor's and first professional degrees simultaneously, with exceptions for dual enrollment participants.

Added a new provision allowing students with disabilities to apply for limited waivers from the scholarship year limits.

Extended the scholarship eligibility period from 7 years to 10 years for students receiving HOPE scholarships on or after July 1, 2019, and added provisions for military service time exclusions.

Added Section 2 establishing an effective date of July 1, 2025, with application beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

Renumbered sections from Section 1 and Section 2 to Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3, with Section 2 now covering the effective date and Section 3 covering repeals of conflicting laws.