SESSION OF 2021
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2287
As Recommended by Senate Committee on
Education

Brief*
Senate Sub. for HB 2287 would establish the Kansas
Promise Scholarship Act (Act) and the Kansas Promise
Scholarship Fund. The Act would provide scholarships to
eligible students enrolled in eligible programs at eligible
institutions.

Definitions
The bill would define the following terms in the Act.
Eligible Institutions
The bill would define an “eligible institution” as one of
the following:
● Any community college or technical college
established by state statute;
● The Washburn Institute of Technology; or
● Any independent, not-for-profit postsecondary
institution whose main campus or principal place of
operation is in Kansas and that offers a program
eligible under the Act, maintains an open
enrollment, and is accredited by a nationally
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 recognized accrediting agency for higher
education.
Eligible Student
The bill would require a student to meet the following
criteria to be considered eligible to apply for a scholarship.
The bill would define “eligible student” as a person who:
● Is a resident of Kansas; and
○ Is 21 years of age or older while being a
resident of Kansas for a minimum of three
years; or
○ Is a dependent child of a military
servicemember permanently stationed in
another state and who graduated from any
out-of-state secondary school or obtained a
high school equivalency certificate within the
preceding 12 months; or
○ Has done one of the following in the past 12
months;
– Graduated from an accredited Kansas
public or private secondary school;
– Completed the requirements for
graduation from a non-accredited private
secondary school, per KSA 72-4345; or
– Attended an accredited Kansas public or
private secondary school or non-
accredited private school, per KSA 72-
4345, and obtained a high school
equivalency certificate.
Part-Time Student
The bill would define a “part-time student” as a student
enrolled a minimum of six credit hours in a semester without
being considered a full-time student.

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Promise Eligible Program
For an eligible student to utilize a scholarship under the
Act, the bill would require the student to attend a two-year
associate degree program, career and technical education
certificate program, or stand-alone program identified by the
State Board of Regents (Board) at an eligible institution in
one of the following fields of study:
● Information technology and security;
● Physical and mental healthcare;
● Advanced manufacturing and building trades; or
● Early childhood education and development.
The term “state board” would also be defined.

Kansas Promise Scholarship Program
The bill would establish the Kansas Promise Scholarship
Program (Program), subject to appropriations from the
Legislature.

Scholarship Calculation
The bill would require scholarship amounts to be the
average aggregate amount of tuition, mandatory fees, and
the cost of books and required materials for the program
offered by eligible community colleges, technical colleges,
and the Washburn Institute of Technology, minus any moneys
the recipient has received in the form of grants, scholarships,
or other financial assistance not requiring repayment.


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Scholarship Income Prioritization
The bill would prioritize scholarships for eligible students
whose family households are less than or equal to the
following amounts:
● $100,000 for a family of two;
● $150,000 for a family of three; and
● $150,000 + $4,800 per additional family member
beyond three.
Eligible students whose family household income
exceeds these limits will be eligible for scholarships under the
Act only if scholarship money remains after awarding all other
prioritized scholarships.

Application Process
To receive a scholarship under the Program, an eligible
student would be required to:
● Complete a scholarship application as established
by the Board;
● Complete the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid;
● Enroll in a promise eligible program at an eligible
institution; and
● Enter into a scholarship agreement with the Board.
Scholarship Agreement
The scholarship agreement would be between the
recipient and the Board.

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 The bill would require the scholarship agreement to
contain the following criteria for eligible students:
● Enroll as a full- or part-time student in an eligible
program at an eligible institution and complete the
program;
● Maintain satisfactory academic progress towards
completion of the promise eligible program;
● Maintain records and make reports as required by
the Board to document satisfaction of program
requirements; and
● Within six months of program completion;
○ Reside and work in the state for a minimum of
two consecutive years; or
○ Enroll as a full- or part-time student at any
public or not-for-profit postsecondary
educational institution whose main campus or
principal place of operation is in the state.
The Board would be allowed to postpone the
requirements for good cause. Failure to satisfy the
requirements would result in the student being required to
repay the scholarship amount.
A scholarship recipient would satisfy the requirements of
the Program if the recipient:
● Completes the requirements of the scholarship
agreement;
● Commences service as a military servicemember
after receiving this scholarship;
● Fails to satisfy the requirements after making the
best possible effort to do so as determined by the
Board; or

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 ● Is unable to satisfy the requirements due to
disability or death of the recipient.
Administration
The bill would require the Board to implement and
administer the Program. The Board would be required to:
● Identify promise eligible programs offered by each
eligible institution;
● Work with public and private secondary schools
and community partners to publicize the
scholarships;
● Subject to appropriations, distribute funds to
eligible institutions for the purpose of awarding
scholarships; and
● Ensure each scholarship recipient fulfills the
requirements of the scholarship agreement.
The Board would also be required to adopt rules and
regulations no later than March 1, 2022, for the
implementation and administration of the Program.
The Board would be required to submit a report to the
Legislature and the Governor on the Program no later than
January 15, 2023, and each January 15 thereafter. The
contents of this report would be required to include:
● Total number of scholarship applications;
● Total number of scholarship recipients and the total
amount of scholarship moneys awarded;
● Scholarship recipient graduation rates; and
● Completion rates of scholarship agreements.

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Repayment
Failure to satisfy the requirements of a scholarship
agreement would result in the scholarship recipient being
liable for repayment to the Board in the amount of the
awarded scholarship plus accrued interest. The interest
would be set at the rate of the Federal PLUS Program at the
time the scholarship was awarded. Moneys collected in this
manner would be remitted to the State Treasurer to be
deposited into the Kansas Promise Scholarship Program
Fund.

Kansas Promise Scholarship Program Fund
The bill would establish the Kansas Promise Scholarship
Program Fund (Fund) to be administered by the Board. The
bill would limit appropriations to the Fund at no more than
$6.0 million per fiscal year.

Background
The Senate Committee on Education recommended a
substitute bill incorporating provisions pertaining to the
establishment of the Act as originally contained in Sub. for SB
43.
HB 2287, as recommended by the House Committee on
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development was the
companion bill for SB 43 and contained provisions similar to
those contained in Sub. for SB 43.
[Note: None of the provisions of HB 2287 as introduced
were retained.]

Sub. for SB 43
The bill was introduced by the Senate Committee on
Education at the request of Senator Baumgardner.
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Senate Committee on Education
In the Senate Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was provided by representatives of the Kansas Association of
Community College Trustees, the Kansas Independent
College Association, the Kansas Technical Colleges, and the
State Board of Regents. Written-only proponent testimony
was provided by representatives of Cowley College, Johnson
County Community College, the Greater Kansas City
Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Association of School
Boards, and Washburn University. The proponents generally
stated these scholarships would be most beneficial for
students whose parents’ income disqualifies them from
receiving Pell Grants but is not enough to help cover the
financial cost of a postsecondary education. Proponents also
stated this bill would help develop the specialized workforce
needed by Kansas businesses.
Written-only neutral testimony was provided by
representatives of the Department for Children and Families
and the Governor’s Council on Education. The testimony
generally stated the conferees supported the focus on
cultivating a highly educated and skilled workforce. The
primary concern from the conferees was the unknown fiscal
cost of the program.
The Senate Committee recommended a substitute bill
be introduced that contained the following changes from the
original bill:
● Defined “part-time student”;
● Changed the date for the initial report on the
Program to January 15, 2023;
● Added early childhood education and development
to the list of eligible programs;
● Clarified eligibility requirements by stating a
student’s graduation from high school or
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 completion of a high school equivalency certificate
must occur within the 12 months prior to
scholarship application;
● Defined the scholarship amount as the average
cost of tuition, mandatory fees, and cost of books
and required materials for the program offered at
eligible community colleges, technical colleges, or
the Washburn Institute of Technology;
● Limited appropriations to the Program at $6.0
million per fiscal year; and
● Added income prioritization to the Program. The
thresholds would be:
○ $100,000 for a family of one or two;
○ $150,000 for a family of three; and
○ $150,000 + $4,800 per family member for
families of four or more.
Fiscal Information
A fiscal note was not immediately available on the
substitute bill.
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on SB 43 as introduced, the State Board of
Regents (Board) states enactment of the bill would have a
fiscal impact on the Board, community colleges, and the
Washburn Institute of Technology. There would also be an
impact on private, not-for-profit postsecondary institutions but
the Board is unable to estimate the impact and has excluded
them from the estimate.
The Board estimates it would need an annual increase
of $37,532 to administer the Program. Of this amount,
$27,532 would be for the salaries and wages of a part-time
position and the remaining $10,000 for operating costs.

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 Utilizing the average costs at community colleges for the
2019-2020 school year, current enrollment in bill eligible
programs, and assuming 50.0 percent of student costs would
be covered by grants, scholarships, and other non-repayable
aid, the Board estimates the bill would increase annual state
scholarship support by $21.9 million beginning in FY 2022.
However, the Board estimates demand to increase for the
scholarship program, given the growth of the Excel in Career
Technical Education Initiative, which has grown from 3,870
students in 2012 to 13,934 students in 2020. Any fiscal effect
associated with the bill is not reflected in The FY 2022
Governor’s Budget Report.
Education; Kansas Promise Scholarship Act; post-secondary; community colleges;
State Board of Regents


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