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Missouri high school graduates may soon be able to attend career-certificate programs for free after state lawmakers passed a bill creating a reimbursement process for career and technical education.

The legislation now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe鈥檚 signature or veto.

鈥淭his will increase (the workforce) astronomically,鈥� said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.鈥�

Kelley, who filed the bill in the House, told The Independent that she got the idea for the legislation after talking to a student. He was eligible for the state鈥檚 , which pays for two years of public community college, and he wanted to use the funds to train for his commercial driver鈥檚 license.

But his goal of operating a dump truck business was derailed when he realized that the state鈥檚 program wouldn鈥檛 cover the type of education he needed.

So Kelley proposed a new program 鈥� one with eligibility requirements mirroring the A+ Program but to fund career-certificate programs.

To qualify, students will need to graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, at least 95% attendance rate, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and achieve proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. The Missouri Senate added another path to eligibility, opening the door to students with .

鈥淐urrently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school鈥� must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,鈥� Kelley said in a committee hearing in February. 鈥淭hese students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.鈥�

Some students use the state鈥檚 to pay for training and licensing, but the program requires participants to be at least 25 years old. Some students take jobs outside their career path to pass the time and avoid shelling out thousands for their certificate, Kelley said, but this legislation seeks to 鈥渇ill the gap.鈥�

To pay for the grants, the bill sets up a fund managed by the State Treasurer鈥檚 Office. Funding would have to be appropriated annually by the state鈥檚 general assembly, though the fund would also be open for donations.

The state estimates a cost of , according to a fiscal note.

Kelley is 鈥減ositive鈥� that Kehoe will sign the bill given his vocal support for career-tech initiatives.

In his inaugural in January, Kehoe placed an emphasis on career and technical education and .

The legislation has also generated support from advocacy groups. In committee, lobbyists from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association spoke in favor of the idea.

鈥淪killed technical talent is a major asset to Missouri employers across all industries,鈥� the chamber of commerce鈥檚 lobbyist Cade Tremain said in a hearing in February.

The legislation received wide support, drawing just two 鈥渘o鈥� votes in the House and one in the Senate. It ultimately passed as part of a with bipartisan support.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].

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