The House Ways & Means Education Subcommittee discussed the College Readiness and Completion Act of 2013 today.  The bill passed out of the Senate on March 25.  The bill, SB740, would establish a number of requirements aimed at increasing college readiness and completion in the State, including encouraging dual-enrollment of qualified high school students at local community colleges.

As amended by the Senate, the legislation directs that for public high school students who are dually-enrolled in public universities or community college, the county board would pay up to 75% of the costs of their enrollments at public universities or community colleges.  Under current law, community colleges charge tuition for dually-enrolled students.

As described by the Department of Legislative Services analysis,

Local community college tuition revenues decrease by a total of at least $390,969 beginning in fiscal2014 due to the prohibition against charging dually enrolled students tuition . . . and the calculation for charging local school systems for dually enrolled students as described below; however, any tuition revenue decrease for an individual student may be offset by additional students dually enrolling due to no tuition being charged them.