HB 5212: Relating to financial aid for post-secondary education. - West Virginia

hb5212 s edu am _1 3-3 adopted.htm → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 10 edits · Apr 1, 2026

MAJOR

HB 5212 fundamentally restructures West Virginia's higher education financial aid system by creating a new Workforce Development Grant Program for community colleges and significantly expanding the scope of existing programs. The bill replaces scholarship language with loan repayment language for health professionals, clarifies that the Medical Student Loan Program covers up to four years of study, and allows the PROMISE Scholarship to cover part-time students. It also establishes a new Future Workforce Grant for short-term training in high-demand occupations.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of financial aid from primarily full-time, degree-seeking students to include part-time students, short-term certificate programs, and specific workforce training initiatives. It also broadens the definition of eligible institutions to include nationally accredited non-state providers for certain grants.

SCOPE

Created a new Workforce Development Grant Program for community and technical colleges to fund short-term training and equipment purchases.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the Higher Education Grant Program to allow part-time enrollment and combined it with the adult part-time grant.

Established a new Future Workforce Grant for short-term training (12 months or less) in high-demand occupations.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the Medical Student Loan Program from a scholarship to a loan repayment program with a four-year maximum award period.

Replaced scholarship language with loan repayment language for Health Sciences and Mental Health Provider programs.

Updated the PROMISE Scholarship to allow awards for part-time students and clarified that awards can supplement other aid without supplanting tuition waivers.

Renamed and reorganized the Higher Education Adult Part-Time Student Grant into the Higher Education Workforce Grant Program.

Extended the maximum lifetime grant total for the Higher Education Grant Program from four years to eight full-time equivalent semesters.

FISCAL

Modified the Medical Student Loan Program to allow awards of up to $20,000 per year for a maximum of four years.

DEFINITION

Added definitions for 'Approved distance education' and 'Demand occupation' to support the new workforce grants.

Engrossed Committee Substitute → hb5212 s edu am _1 3-3 adopted.htm · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was amended to correct a numbering error in the eligibility criteria for the HEAPS Future Workforce Grant, changing the reference from '(4)' to '(3)' in two locations. Additionally, specific language regarding the approval process for nationally accredited institutions was removed to streamline the definition of eligible programs. These changes ensure the grant rules are internally consistent and simplify the criteria for which programs qualify for funding.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on higher education grants and scholarships, but the specific eligibility definitions for the HEAPS Future Workforce Grant were refined to fix an internal inconsistency and remove redundant approval language.

REQUIREMENT

Corrected a numbering error in the HEAPS Future Workforce Grant eligibility section, changing references from '(4)' to '(3)' to align with the correct list item.

DEFINITION

Deleted the phrase 'permitted pursuant to §18B-3-5 of this code and' from the definition of eligible programs, simplifying the criteria for nationally accredited institutions.

TECHNICAL

Added committee amendment notes indicating the specific pages and lines where the text changes were adopted.

Committee Substitute → Engrossed Committee Substitute · 2 edits · Mar 14, 2026

MINOR

The bill was updated from a 'Committee Substitute' to an 'Engrossed Version,' indicating it has passed the House and is ready for the Senate. The substantive text shows minor formatting corrections, such as removing extra spaces in legal citations and adjusting the header information to reflect the bill's current status in the legislative process.

TECHNICAL

Removed extra spaces in legal code citations (e.g., changing '§29A-3A-1 et seq.' from having a space before 'et' to standard formatting) and updated the header to show the bill is now an 'Engrossed Version' instead of a 'Committee Substitute.'

Adjusted the header navigation links to reflect the bill's progression, removing the 'hb5212 sub1' link and adding the 'Engrossed Version' label.

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The Committee Substitute version of HB 5212 refines the bill's scope by removing a specific section on higher education adult part-time grants and updating the description of the WV Invests Grant program. It also corrects several grammatical errors and clarifies eligibility requirements for loan repayment programs, ensuring the legislation is more precise before moving to the next legislative stage.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the amendment to the higher education adult part-time student grant program, which was replaced with a focus on renaming and reorganizing it into the higher education workforce grant program in the summary text. Additionally, the description of the WV Invests Grant was updated to explicitly include eligibility for individuals seeking associate degrees or certificates in emergency medical services.

SCOPE

The summary description of the bill was updated to remove the specific mention of amending the 'higher education adult part-time student grant program' and instead focus on renaming and reorganizing it into the 'higher education workforce grant program'.

ELIGIBILITY

The eligibility criteria for the WV Invests Grant were expanded to allow individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree to qualify if they are seeking an associate degree or certificate in an eligible emergency medical services program.

TECHNICAL

Multiple grammatical errors and awkward phrasing were corrected throughout the text, such as removing redundant words like 'who has been accepted in who has participated' and fixing sentence fragments.

The description of the mental health provider loan repayment program was updated to remove a specific start date of January 1, 2020, which appears to be outdated or incorrect for a 2026 session bill.

Relating to financial aid for post-secondary education.

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