FIRST REGULAR SESSION
[PERFECTED]
SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 150
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR CARTER.
0068S.03P 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 thereto 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 tr aining 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 SS SB 150 2
(c) An approved virtual institution, as defined in 16
section 173.1102; or 17
(d) An eligible training provider; 18
(2) "Department", the department of higher education 19
and workforce development; 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 non -graduate- 25
level certificate or other industry -recognized credential 26
below the graduate level that has been designated by the 27
coordinating board for higher educat ion as preparing 28
students to enter an area of occupational shortage 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, or any student who has earned a career and 35
technical education (CTE) certificate pursuant to the 36
provisions of section 170.029 and in accorda nce with 37
criteria outlined by the department of elementary and 38
secondary education, provided that such student has not 39
received a reimbursement for tuition, books, or fees under 40
section 160.545; 41
(5) "Eligible training provider", a training 42
organization listed in the state of Missouri eligible 43
training provider system maintained by the office of 44
workforce development in the department of higher education 45
and workforce development that is not a four -year 46
institution of higher education; 47 SS SB 150 3
(6) "Training program", a program of study that leads 48
to a certificate or degree and is offered by an approved 49
institution but that does not meet the length -of-program 50
requirements for an eligible program under 34 CFR 668.8, as 51
amended. The term includes, but is not limited to: 52
(a) Certified nurse assistant (CNA) programs; 53
(b) Certified medication technician (CMT) programs; 54
(c) Level 1 medication aide (L1MA) programs; 55
(d) Insulin administration programs; 56
(e) Emergency medical technician (EMT) programs; 57
(f) Advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT) 58
programs; 59
(g) Paramedic programs as described in chapter 190; or 60
(h) Commercial driver's license (CDL) programs. 61
3. (1) Beginning in the 2026 -27 academic year and for 62
all subsequent academic years, the department shall, by 63
rule, establish a procedure for the reimbursement of the 64
costs of tuition, books, and fees from the career -tech 65
certificate (CTC) program fund to the approved institution 66
at which an eligible student is enrolled in an eligible 67
program of study or a training program. 68
(2) No tuition reimbursements in excess of the tuition 69
rate charged by a public community college for coursework 70
offered by a two-year private vocational or te chnical 71
school, approved virtual institution as defined under 72
section 173.1102, or eligible training provider within the 73
service area of such college shall be reimbursed under this 74
section. 75
(3) (a) If a public community college or vocational 76
or technical school offers the same or a substantially 77
similar eligible program of study or training program as a 78
private vocational or technical school, virtual institution, 79 SS SB 150 4
or eligible training provider at which an eligible student 80
intends to enroll an d the school or provider is located in 81
the service region of the public community college or 82
vocational or technical school that offers the same or 83
similar program of study or training program, no tuition 84
reimbursement shall be provided under this sect ion for such 85
eligible student unless, before the eligible student enrolls: 86
a. The private vocational or technical school, virtual 87
institution, or eligible training provider requests 88
authorization from the department for such tuition 89
reimbursement; and 90
b. The department authorizes such request. 91
(b) The department shall: 92
a. Develop and adopt a tuition reimbursement 93
authorization request form and a procedure for submitting 94
such request; 95
b. Review and either authorize or deny such request 96
within twenty business days of receiving an accurate, 97
complete, and properly submitted request; and 98
c. If the department denies such request, provide the 99
educational entity and the eligible student with the reasons 100
for such denial. 101
(c) The department shall not deny a tuition 102
reimbursement authorization request without good cause, as 103
determined by the department on a case -by-case basis. 104
(4) The reimbursements provided under this section to 105
a two-year private vocational or technical school, approved 106
virtual institution as defined under section 173.1102, or 107
eligible training provider shall not violate the provisions 108
of Article IX, Section 8, or Article I, Section 7, of the 109
Constitution of Missouri or the First Amendmen t to the 110
Constitution of the United States. 111 SS SB 150 5
4. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury 112
the "Career-Tech Certificate (CTC) Program Fund", which 113
shall consist of any moneys appropriated annually by the 114
general assembly, gifts, bequests, grants, public or private 115
donations, or transfers. The state treasurer shall be 116
custodian of the fund. In accordance with sections 30.170 117
and 30.180, the state treasurer may approve disbursements. 118
The fund shall be a dedicated fund and, upon appropr iation, 119
moneys in this fund shall be used solely for reimbursements 120
as provided in this section. 121
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 122
to the contrary, any moneys remaining in the fund at the end 123
of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the 124
general revenue fund. 125
(3) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the 126
fund in the same manner as other funds are invested. Any 127
interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be 128
credited to the fund. 129
5. No rule promulgated by the department under this 130
section shall prohibit students enrolled in an eligible 131
program of study or a training program from qualifying for 132
tuition reimbursement under this section solely because the 133
eligible program of study or training program does not meet 134
the length-of-program requirements for an eligible program 135
under 34 CFR 668.8, as amended, or because the eligible 136
training provider at which a student enrolls does not 137
participate in federal student aid programs. 138
6. Eligibility for tuition, books, and fees 139
reimbursement to an approved institution as provided under 140
this section shall expire upon the earliest of: 141 SS SB 150 6
(1) Receipt of the reimbursement for the required 142
length for completion of such program as determined by the 143
department; 144
(2) A student's successful completion of an eligible 145
program of study or training program; or 146
(3) A student's completion of one hundred fifty 147
percent of the time usually required to complete an eligible 148
program of study or t raining program. 149
7. The department may promulgate all necessary rules 150
and regulations for the implementation and administration of 151
this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term 152
is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 153
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 154
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 155
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 156
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 157
if any of the powers ves ted with the general assembly 158
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 159
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 160
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 161
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after the 162
effective date of this act shall be invalid and void. 163