To be eligible, students must apply to and be accepted by the educational institution no later than the third anniversary of the date the student was discharged from foster or residential care, the date the student graduated, or the date the student obtained a GED, whichever is earlier, or the date of the student's 21st birthday. Students must also apply for other financial assistance, apply to the board for a determination of eligibility, and complete at least 100 hours of community service or public internship within a 12-month period for each year that the student receives the tuition and fee waiver.

The tuition and fee waiver shall be re-awarded annually as long as the student remains in good academic standing. The institution shall monitor compliance with the provisions of this act and shall report such information to the department of higher education. The provisions of this act shall not apply to any student already enrolled in an institution of higher education on the effective date of this act.

The act also allows the children and spouse of qualifying military members to receive an educational grant to attend an institution of postsecondary education in this state.

The act provides that a qualifying military member shall include any member of the U.S. military who served in the military after September 11, 2001, during a time of war, and who was a Missouri resident when first entering military service and at the time of death, illness, or injury, as provided in this act, and who died as the result of combat action, or whose death was certified by a Veteran's Administration authority to be attributable to an illness or injury sustained while serving in combat, or who became at least 80 percent disabled as the result of an illness or injury sustained in combat action after September 11, 2001.

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education shall award annually up to twenty-five grants to eligible recipients, which shall be re-awarded annually as long as certain minimum guidelines, determined by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, continue to be achieved. If the waiting list of eligible survivors exceeds fifty, the board may petition the general assembly to expand the quota, otherwise, the eligibility of survivors on the waiting list shall be extended.

The tuition grant shall not exceed the amount charged a Missouri resident for attendance at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition to the cost of tuition, the grant also includes 2,000 dollars per semester for room and board, and the actual cost of books up to 500 dollars per semester. Children are eligible to receive the scholarship until age 25, and spouses are eligible until age 45. No eligible student will receive a grant for more than 100 percent of the cost of tuition when combined with similar funds given to the student. The coordinating board for higher education shall promulgate all rules necessary for implementation of this section, including determining minimum standards of performance for a student to remain eligible for a grant under this act.

The provisions of the act will expire six years from the effective date.

Provisions of this act is similar to SCS/SB 876 (2006) and SB 572 (2006).

ALEXA PEARSON