Amend KRS 164.769 to establish a pilot program to provide scholarships to students pursuing a teaching career in a math- or science-related discipline to be administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority; establish scholarship recipient selection, award, and repayment process; appropriate $4,175,000 in each fiscal year of the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium to support the program; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to establish the Kentucky Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program fund; require the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to administer the fund; require the authority to disburse funds for student loan repayment to recruit and retain eligible public service employees that live and work in Kentucky; specify terms and process; establish criteria for the program and applicant evaluation for awards; appropriate $30,000,000 from the budget reserve trust fund account for initial implementation of the student loan forgiveness program; appropriate $30,000,000 from the general fund for support of the student loan forgiveness program; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY, EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 14 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit; designate the Secretary of State as the sole official authorized to report the state's election and submit the required list to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Secretary of State to publish associated administrative regulations and other guidance on a website; authorize the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the program; authorize the Secretary of State to collect a fee and accept private contributions to pay for necessary costs and establish requirements for the administration of the funds; waive Eleventh Amendment immunity for the section; amend KRS 141.019 to exclude qualified contributions made to scholarship granting organizations from allowed individual income tax dedications.
Amend KRS 164.5161 to define "spouse"; rename the National Guard Tuition Award Program the National Guard Tuition Scholarship Program; allow current National Guard members and their spouses up to 130 total credit hours at a postsecondary institution; allow the total number of credit hours to be transferrable between the member and his or her spouse; grant authority to the adjutant general to award up to 45 additional nontransferable credit hours within the program; amend KRS 164.5165 and 164.5169 to conform.
HB 769 extends the eligibility period for Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships (KEES) from 5 to 8 years after high school graduation. This change directly affects students who received KEES scholarships, allowing them more time to use their benefits while enrolled in postsecondary education. The bill amends KRS 164.7881 to update the expiration timeline and ensures related provisions remain consistent. It does not alter scholarship amounts, GPA requirements, or other eligibility conditions - only the timeframe for using the award. The change aims to provide greater flexibility for students pursuing degrees over longer periods.
Amend KRS 164.7879 to increase the Kentucky educational excellence scholarship base amount for each eligible grade point average; increase the supplemental award amounts; require a supplemental award for eligible Cambridge Advanced International scores; amend KRS 164.7882 to increase the award amount for an eligible student enrolled in a comprehensive transition and postsecondary program; amend KRS 164.7874, 164.7881, 164.7884, and 164.7885 to conform; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit program; designate the Auditor of Public Accounts as the officer to submit the Commonwealth's election and list of scholarship granting organizations to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Auditor to maintain the Commonwealth's list of scholarship granting organizations and maintain certain information on the Auditor's website; authorize the Auditor to promulgate administrative regulations necessary to establish the list; and authorize the Auditor to enter into agreements to assist with implementing the section.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; establish a proactive postsecondary admissions program to be managed by the Council on Postsecondary Education; require each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky to establish the minimum academic qualification for prospective admission to the institution and implement the common online application approved by the council by July 1, 2027; require the Kentucky Department of Education and each certified nonpublic school to submit a compiled list with designated information of all high school students who most recently completed their junior year to the council and the Kentucky Center for Statistics on or before September 1 of each year; require the KHEAA to submit the KEES award amounts of public and certified nonpublic high school students to the council on or before September 1 of each year; direct the council to send a personalized prospective admissions letter notifying each eligible high school student of each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky where the recipient qualifies for prospective admissions, provides instructions for the recipient to apply for full admission, and of the student's KEES scholarship amount; provide that the personalized letter shall not constitute a guarantee of admission; retain the right for public postsecondary education institutions to perform a comprehensive reviews of all admissions applications internally; create a new section of KRS Chapter 151 to direct the Kentucky Center for Statistics to collaborate with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education to publish annual data on academic and workforce outcomes; amend KRS 164.020 to direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to establish a common online application and maintain a website for students to apply to Kentucky public postsecondary institutions through the common online application.
Amend KRS 164.786 to define "eligible high school apprentice" and "eligible registered teacher apprenticeship program"; include eligible registered teacher apprenticeship programs in the dual credit scholarship program; establish student and school district eligibility and participation requirements in the eligible registered teacher apprenticeship scholarship program.
Amend KRS 164.7879 to require the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to annually adjust the Kentucky education excellence scholarship (KEES) based on the Consumer Price Index; permit the authority to annually adjust KEES supplemental awards based on the Consumer Price Index; require that KEES award adjustments be paid at the most recent calculation for the academic term in which a student utilizes their award; prohibit decrease in KEES awards; amend various statutes to conform.
