House gives first-round passage to Access Missouri equalization
Attempts to equalize Access Missouri funding received a boost Tuesday after the full House gave initial approval to a bill to equal the scholarship award amounts.
The Access Missouri program offers scholarships that are both need-based and state funded. Public school students can get between $1,000 and $2,150 and private college students are eligible for $2,000 to $4,600 per year from the program, according to previous Maneater reports.
The aim of this legislation would eliminate that discrepancy. If the bill becomes law, four-year institution students could receive a minimum of $1,500 and a maximum of $2,850. Community college students could receive between $1,000 and $1,300.
These changes would go into place in the 2014-2015 school year. The program's expiration date would also be removed by the bill.
The legislation, which still needs final approval, received wide support in the House and similar measures have been making progress in the Senate.