Latest news with #HouseStudyBill62
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House panel votes to aim some Iowa Tuition Grant funds for high-demand jobs
A bill that would put half of Iowa Tuition Grant dollars toward degrees relating to high-demand jobs will move to the House floor. (Photo illustration via Getty Images) A bill that would reserve half of state-funded grant dollars for private-university students seeking degrees in high-demand job fields passed through the Iowa House Higher Education Committee Tuesday with worries lingering about possible impacts on students and faith-based degree programs. The Iowa Tuition Grant program offers need-based scholarships to students attending Iowa's private universities, with a maximum award amount of $8,500 in the 2024-2025 academic year. Currently funded at more than $52 million, Gov. Kim Reynolds has recommended state allocations of nearly $53.8 million for fiscal year 2026, according to the Iowa Budget Report. House Study Bill 62 would require half of that amount to go to students enrolled in majors that relate to high-wage and high-demand careers, determined by a list that would be developed by Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'This concept obviously still needs some work yet here, but I would like to keep this vehicle alive as we are approaching the funnel to keep this conversation going,' said Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis. Under the Legislature's self-imposed 'funnel' deadline, most policy bills need to clear a committee in the House or Senate by the end of this week to be considered eligible for further debate. There are exceptions to the rule and some bills may be revived after missing the deadline. Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, agreed with Collins's statement about the legislation still needing work, saying the Legislature needs to look hard at any unintended consequences of the bill before it could become law. Private university leaders and lobbyists voiced concerns during the bill's subcommittee meeting that these changes would disproportionately impact faith-based institutions and hurt low-income students who need the Iowa Tuition Grant the most. Konfrst said she worries most about putting salaries, which can be fluid, in code and what could happen to students who enter college undecided about what major to pursue. While Konfrst said she knows the intent behind the bill, to focus education more on workforce needs, she added she has many questions about its implementation and potential impacts. 'I can go on about the idea of critical thinking and the importance of other majors. I know some of (grant dollars) go toward this, so I'm not going to get into an argument about that, but I had a boss who once said that the people who only know how will always work for the people who also know why,' Konfrst said. 'And you learn why in college, you learn a lot of this stuff not just from business classes or high needs classes, but from others, and so I think we need to make sure we're not excluding those majors.' The bill will move ahead to the House floor with a 7-3 vote. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Half of Iowa Tuition Grant funds could go to students in ‘high-demand' fields
A bill to allocate half of Iowa Tuition Grant dollars to students pursuing degrees leading to a high-demand career will move to committee. (Photo by) A bill that would funnel a portion of Iowa Tuition Grant dollars toward high-demand job fields passed out of subcommittee Tuesday afternoon despite concerns from private college representatives about how it could impact students. House Study Bill 62 would require the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, which oversees the Iowa Tuition Grant program, to allocate 50% of funds for the program to students earning degrees that 'correspond to high-wage and high-demand jobs,' based on a list created by the state workforce development board and the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Criteria for job fields to be put on the list include a starting salary of at least $40,000, the acquirement of a bachelor's degree or initial or intern teaching license for Iowa, and either a projected at-least 1% annual growth rate of new job openings or predicted annual job openings of at least 250 positions over the next five years, according to the legislation. The Iowa Tuition Grant program, founded more than 50 years ago, provides scholarships to qualifying students attending an Iowa private university. Gary Steinke, president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said during the meeting this bill would negatively impact students who most need the financial aid, and those who hope to study religion, alongside other important programs. 'This is a bill that really targets most low-income Iowa students,' Steinke said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Steinke said faith-based universities are also concerned about the legislation, as it could impact the many students who are seeking an education grounded in faith and religion, with majors that might not qualify as leading to a high-demand job field. Mark Felderman, who spoke during public comment on behalf of Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, shared the concerns Steinke brought up and asked if majors mentioning the Bible or faith are the ones being targeted by this legislation. 'If we look at what's our best return on investment in these dollars, I think you want students who graduate from a good institution, who can think, who can communicate … those who know how to interact with each other, have grounding in some of the classics and literature, have some philosophy, all of those things,' Felderman said. 'And ultimately, these are the folks we want in Iowa, because they're formed to be good people.' Subcommittee member Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, asked Steinke how many students change their major while attending university, to which he said it can vary from year to year, but it generally averages around 50%. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chaired the subcommittee, joined by Konfrst and Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham. Shipley said he feels it is important for the state to exercise oversight of the Iowa Tuition Grant program and ensure it aids in completing state objectives. Collins said discussion on the Iowa Tuition Grant program was a long time coming, as it was formed more than 50 years ago. He said the point of the Higher Education Committee is to review all areas of higher education in the state, including public universities, community and private colleges. He said he's also looking for colleges to provide data on how many students are using the Iowa Tuition Grant, and Konfrst said she'd like to know if these students are staying in Iowa after graduation. The bill will be considered next by the full Higher Education Committee. 'The point of this is really to start this is really to start this conversation,' Collins said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
