FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 150
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR CARTER.
0068S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the career-tech
certificate program.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding ther eto 1
one new section, to be known as section 173.836, to read as 2
follows:3
173.836. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Career -Tech Certificate (CTC) Program". 2
2. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 3
(1) "Approved institution", an institution of 4
postsecondary education that is subject to the coordinating 5
board for higher education under section 173.005, offers 6
eligible programs of study or training programs, and is at 7
least one of the following: 8
(a) A public community college or vocational or 9
technical school as provided under subsection 8 of section 10
160.545; 11
(b) A two-year private vocational or technical school 12
authorized to obtain reimbursements under subsection 8 of 13
section 160.545 as provided under subsection 10 of section 14
160.545; 15
(c) An approved virtual institution, as defined in 16
section 173.1102; or 17
(d) An eligible training provider; 18 SB 150 2
(2) "Department", the department of higher education 19
and workforce developmen t; 20
(3) "Eligible program of study", a program of 21
instruction for which the required length for completion of 22
such program does not exceed the equivalent of sixty credit 23
hours or the equivalent under a different measure of student 24
progress and that results in the award of a nongraduate 25
level certificate or other industry -recognized credential 26
below the graduate level that has been designated by the 27
coordinating board for higher education as preparing 28
students to enter an area of occupational sh ortage as 29
determined and updated annually by such board under 30
subdivision (5) of subsection 2 of section 173.2553; 31
(4) "Eligible student", any student that meets the 32
eligibility requirements for reimbursement of tuition, 33
books, and fees under the "A+ Schools Program" created in 34
section 160.545, provided that such student has not received 35
a reimbursement for tuition, books, or fees under section 36
160.545; 37
(5) "Eligible training provider", a training 38
organization listed in the state of Miss ouri eligible 39
training provider system maintained by the office of 40
workforce development in the department of higher education 41
and workforce development that is not a four -year 42
institution of higher education; 43
(6) "Training program", a program of study that leads 44
to a certificate or degree and is offered by an approved 45
institution but that does not meet the length -of-program 46
requirements for an eligible program under 34 CFR 668.8, as 47
amended. The term includes, but is not limited to, 48
certified nurse assistant (CNA) programs, certified 49
medication technician (CMT) programs, level 1 medication 50 SB 150 3
aide (L1MA) programs, insulin administration programs, or 51
commercial driver's license (CDL) programs. 52
3. (1) Beginning in the 2026 -27 academic year and all 53
subsequent academic years, the department shall, by rule, 54
establish a procedure for the reimbursement of the costs of 55
tuition, books, and fees from the career -tech certificate 56
(CTC) program fund to the approved institution at which an 57
eligible student is enrolled in an eligible program of study 58
or a training program. 59
(2) No tuition reimbursements in excess of the tuition 60
rate charged by a public community college for coursework 61
offered by a two-year private vocational or technical 62
school, approved virtual institution as defined under 63
section 173.1102, or eligible training provider within the 64
service area of such college shall be reimbursed under this 65
section. 66
(3) No tuition reimbursement shall be provided under 67
this section to an eligible student who enrolls in a private 68
vocational or technical school, virtual institution, or 69
eligible training provider if a public community college or 70
vocational or technical school located within a forty -mile 71
radius of such student's d omicile offers the same or a 72
substantially similar eligible program of study or training 73
program, as determined by the department on a case -by-case 74
basis. 75
(4) The reimbursements provided under this section to 76
a two-year private vocational or tech nical school, approved 77
virtual institution as defined under section 173.1102, or 78
eligible training provider shall not violate the provisions 79
of Article IX, Section 8, or Article I, Section 7, of the 80
Constitution of the state of Missouri, or the First 81
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. 82 SB 150 4
4. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury 83
the "Career-Tech Certificate (CTC) Program Fund", which 84
shall consist of any moneys appropriated annually by the 85
general assembly, gifts, beq uests, grants, public or private 86
donations, or transfers. The state treasurer shall be 87
custodian of the fund. The department shall administer the 88
fund. In accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the 89
state treasurer may approve disbursements. The fund shall 90
be a dedicated fund and, upon appropriation, moneys in this 91
fund shall be used solely by the department for 92
reimbursements as provided in this section. 93
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 94
to the contrary, any moneys remaining in the fund at the end 95
of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the 96
general revenue fund. 97
(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the 98
fund in the same manner as other funds are invested. Any 99
interest and moneys earned o n such investments shall be 100
credited to the fund. 101
5. No rule promulgated by the department under this 102
section shall prohibit students enrolled in an eligible 103
program of study or a training program from qualifying for 104
tuition reimbursement under t his section solely because the 105
eligible program of study or training program does not meet 106
the length-of-program requirements for an eligible program 107
under 34 CFR 668.8, as amended, or because the eligible 108
training provider at which a student enrolls d oes not 109
participate in federal student aid programs. 110
6. Eligibility for tuition, books, and fees 111
reimbursement to an approved institution as provided under 112
this section shall expire upon the earliest of: 113 SB 150 5
(1) Receipt of the reimbursement for the required 114
length for completion of such program as determined by the 115
department; 116
(2) A student's successful completion of an eligible 117
program of study or training program; or 118
(3) A student's completion of one hundred fifty 119
percent of the time usually required to complete an eligible 120
program of study or training program. 121
7. The department may promulgate all necessary rules 122
and regulations for the implementation and administration of 123
this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term 124
is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 125
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 126
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 127
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 128
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 129
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 130
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 131
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 132
held unconstitutional, then the grant o f rulemaking 133
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 134
2025, shall be invalid and void. 135