SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2567
As Amended by House Committee on Education

Brief*
HB 2567, as amended, would establish the Kansas
National Guard Education Master’s for Enhanced Readiness
and Global Excellence (EMERGE) Program to provide
financial assistance to Kansas National Guard members
pursuing master’s degree at a Kansas educational institution.

EMERGE Program (Section 4 & 5)
National Guard Member Selection
The bill would require, on or before July 1 of each
academic year, the Adjutant General to select up to 100
eligible National Guard members who have applied to the
EMERGE Program to receive assistance. The bill would cap
the number of eligible National Guard members in the
program at 200 members in any one school year.
Financial Assistance
The bill would, subject to appropriations, provide eligible
National Guard members who are enrolled at a Kansas
educational institution and participating in the program to
receive financial assistance for tuition and fees each
semester. The bill would provide participants with financial
assistance in an amount equal to the tuition and required fees
for the semester, with the following requirements and
adjustments:
____________________
*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
 ● The number of credit hours may not exceed 15.0
credit hours in one semester;
● The aggregate amount of credit hours taken by a
participant may not exceed 150.0 percent of the
total credit hours needed for the master’s degree;
● The course is not being repeated or taken in
excess of the master’s degree program
requirements;
● The tuition and required fees do not exceed the
maximum rate that would be charged by a state
educational institution for enrollment of the eligible
National Guard member; and
● The amounts of federal or institution tuition
assistance received by the eligible National Guard
member shall be deducted from that participant’s
state benefits.
Participation Requirements
The bill would require National Guard members
participating in the program to agree, in writing, to complete
the member’s current service obligation and to serve actively
and in good standing for no less than 48 months following the
completion of the program. The bill would also require
participating members to submit the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for any other federal
tuition assistance available.
Participating National Guard members would be
required to remain in good standing at their Kansas
educational institution, make satisfactory progress toward
completion of the requirements of their degree, and maintain
a grade point average of no less than 2.75 in order to
continue their participation in the program.

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Clawbacks
The bill would require any participating National Guard
member who received benefits under the program but failed
to meet the requirement of continued service to repay to the
State an amount of money determined in the following
manner:
● Determine the total amount of assistance paid to
such member under the program;
● Divide the amount determined by 48; and
● Multiply the amount determined by the number of
months such member did not serve as required by
the bill.
All repayments made in this manner would be required
to be deposited in the State Treasury and be credited to the
Kansas National Guard EMERGE Repayment Fund (Fund).

Kansas Board of Regents (Section 3)
The bill would require the Kansas Board of Regents
(KBOR) to administer the program and carry out the following
activities:
● Establish a mechanism to ensure distribution of
funds for tuition and fee reimbursement to Kansas
educational institutions;
● Enter into a cooperative relationship with the
Adjutant General to ensure efficient operation of
the program;
● Develop and effectuate a system of accountability
for all disbursements of funds and provide written
reports as required; and

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 ● Coordinate with the Adjutant General to create a
procedure to ensure initial and ongoing eligibility of
participating National Guard members in the
program.
The bill would allow, but not require, KBOR to establish
rules and regulations to assist in administering the program.

Definitions (Section 2)
The bill would define, among others, the following terms:
● “Educational Program” would mean a master’s
degree program offered or maintained by a Kansas
educational institution that leads to the award of a
master’s degree to an eligible guard member upon
satisfactory completion of course work;
● “Eligible guard member” would mean any member
of the Kansas National Guard who has been
accepted into an eligible master’s degree program
and who is not under a suspension of favorable
flag action or on the unit unfavorable information
file; and
● “Kansas educational institution” would mean a
state educational institution as defined by law,
Washburn University, or an accredited independent
institution as defined by law.
Establishment of Fund (Section 6)
The bill would establish the Fund in the State Treasury.
The Fund would be administered by KBOR, and all
expenditures from the Fund would be required to be for
National Guard member financial assistance under the
program.

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Background
The bill was introduced by Representative Turk and 47
other Representatives.

House Committee on Education
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was provided by Representatives B. Carpenter and Turk, as
well as representatives of KBOR and the National Guard
Association of Kansas. The conferees generally stated the
need for the program to function as a recruitment and
retention tool for the Kansas National Guard while also
ensuring guard members were able to receive the advanced
education they needed for promotion.
Written-only proponent testimony was provided by the
Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Kansas and
Kansas Independent College Association.
Neutral testimony was provided by a representative of
the Office of the Adjutant General.
No other testimony was provided.
The House Committee made the following amendments
to the bill:
● Included Washburn University in the definition of a
“Kansas educational institution”;
● Changed the requirement for KBOR to propagate
rules and regulations for the EMERGE Program
from “shall” to “may”;
● Clarified that both federal and institutional tuition
assistance would be deducted from a participating
member’s state benefits;

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 ● Shortened the length of service following
completion of a master’s program from 72 to 48
months;
● Removed requirements for participating members
to obtain a certificate of satisfactory participation
for their commanding officer to provide to the
participant’s educational institution; and
● Modified the clawback calculations to reflect the
reduced service time following completion of a
master’s program.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, KBOR estimates the
aggregate cost of tuition and fees in FY 2025 for 100
participants to be $1.1 million, with costs in subsequent years
of $2.2 million for 200 participants.
The Adjutant General’s Department stated the bill would
not have a fiscal effect on the agency.
Any fiscal effect associated with the bill is not reflected
in The FY 2025 Governor’s Budget.
Education; military; Kansas National Guard; Kansas Board of Regents;
postsecondary education; EMERGE Program; financial aid; graduate programs


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