KRS 164.787: Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program -- Eligibility requirements --

Scholarship amount -- Annual report -- Trust fund.

(1) The General Assembly hereby establishes the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship

Program to ensure that all Ken tuckians who have not yet earned a postsecondary

degree have affordable access to an industry -recognized certificate, diploma, or

associate of applied science degree and, for students with intellectual disabilities

enrolled in comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs, affordable

access to meaningful credentials to prepare for competitive integrated employment.

(2) For purposes of this section:

(a) "Academic term" means a fall, spring, or summer academic term or other time

period specified in an administrative regulation promulgated by the authority;

(b) "Academic year" means July 1 through June 30 of each year;

(c) "Eligible institution" means an institution as defined in KRS 164.001 that:

1. Actively participates in the federal Pell Grant program;

2. Executes a contract with the authority on terms the authority deems

necessary or appropriate for the administration of its programs; and

3. Is a:

a. Kentucky Community and Technical College System institution;

b. Kentucky public university; or

c. College, university, or vocational -technical school that is

accredited by a recognized regional or national accrediting body

and licensed to operate at a site in Kentucky;

(d) "Eligible program of study" means a program approved by the authority that

leads to an industry -recognized certificate, diploma, or associate of applied

science degree in one (1) of Kentucky's top five (5) high -demand workforce

sectors id entified by the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board and the

Education and Labor Cabinet or a program of study in a comprehensive

transition and postsecondary program that leads to a credential, certificate,

diploma, or degree;

(e) "Fees" means mandatory fees charged by an eligible institution for enrollment

in a course, including but not limited to online course fees, lab fees, and

administrative fees. "Fees" does not include tools, books, or other

instructional materials that may be required for a course; and

(f) "Tuition" means the in -state tuition charged to all students as a condition of

enrollment in an eligible institution.

(3) In consultation with the Education and Labor Cabinet and the Council on

Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority

shall administer the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program and promulgate

administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A as may be needed

for the administration of the scholarship.

(4) An eligible workforce student shall:

(a) Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;

(b) Be a Kentucky resident as determined by the eligible institution in accordance

with criteria established by the Council on Postsecondary Education for the

purposes of admission and tuition assessment;

(c) 1. Have earned a high school diploma or a High School Equivalency

Diploma or be enrolled in a High School Equivalency Diploma

program; or

2. For a student enrolled in a comprehensive transition and postsecondary

program, have received an alternate high school diploma described in

KRS 158.140(2)(b), or a modified high school diploma under KRS

156.160(1)(e), or have attended a Kentucky public high school and is a

student with an intellectual disability as defined in 34 C.F.R. sec.

668.231;

(d) Not have earned an associate's degree or higher level postsecondary degree;

(e) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the academic year

in which the scholarship is awarded;

(f) Complete and submit a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship a pplication to the

authority;

(g) Enroll in an eligible program of study at an eligible institution;

(h) Not be enrolled in an ineligible degree program, such as a bachelor or

unapproved associate program, at any postsecondary institution;

(i) Following the first academic term scholarship funds are received, achieve and

maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the eligible

institution; and

(j) Not be in default on any program under Title IV of the federal act or any

obligation to the authorit y under any program administered by the authority

under KRS 164.740 to 164.7891 or 164.7894, except that ineligibility for this

reason may be waived by the authority for cause.

(5) (a) The authority shall award a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship each

academic term to any person who meets the requirements of this section to the

extent funds are available for that purpose.

(b) The scholarship amount awarded to an eligible workforce student for an

academic term shall be the amount remaining after subtracting th e student's

federal and state grants and scholarships from the maximum scholarship

amount. The maximum scholarship amount shall be the per credit hour in -

state tuition rate at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System

multiplied by the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled and

the fees charged to the student. The authority shall promulgate an

administrative regulation in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to specify the

maximum amount to be awarded for fees.

(6) (a) Except as provid ed in paragraph (b) of this subsection, an eligible workforce

student's eligibility for the scholarship shall terminate upon the earlier of:

1. Receiving the scholarship for a total of sixty (60) credit hours; or

2. Obtaining an associate's degree.

(b) For an eligible workforce student enrolled in a comprehensive transition and

postsecondary program, eligibility for the scholarship shall terminate upon the

earlier of completing the program or receiving the scholarship for up to nine

(9) academic terms within three (3) academic years.

(7) The authority shall annually provide a report on the Work Ready Kentucky

Scholarship Program, prepared in collaboration with the Kentucky Center for

Statistics, to the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet and the Legislative

Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education that

includes, by academic term, academic year, institution, and workforce sector, the

number of:

(a) Students served by the scholarship and the total amount disbursed;

(b) Credits, certificates, diplomas, and associate of applied science degrees earned

by students receiving the scholarship; and

(c) Students receiving the scholarship who are enrolled in a comprehensive

transition and postsecondary program and credential s earned by those

students.

(8) The authority shall report Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship program data to the

Kentucky Center for Statistics for analysis of the program's success in meeting the

goal of increasing skilled workforce participation rates.

(9) (a) The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship fund is hereby created as a trust fund

in the State Treasury to be administered by the authority for the purpose of

providing scholarships as described in this section.

(b) The trust fund shall consist of state gene ral fund appropriations, gifts and

grants from public and private sources, and federal funds.

(c) Any unallotted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shall be invested

as provided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the investments shall be

credited to the trust fund.

(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal year

shall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year.