HCS CSSB 10(EDC) Summary

• Establishes a grant program awarding tuition and fees to essential workers and laid-off workers who attend qualified postsecondary institutions in Alaska, subject to appropriation.

• Eligible applicants must have been employed as essential workers on January 31, 2020, or temporarily/permanently laid off due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, with a 12-month Alaska residency requirement and high school diploma or GED.

• Recipients must maintain half-time or full-time enrollment status, a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average, and have not completed more than 90 credit hours at any postsecondary institution.

• Program caps annual grant awards at $2,500,000; if insufficient funding exists, grants are prioritized based on expected family contribution from Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

• Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education must submit annual reports by December 31 detailing student completion rates, federal aid, and program effects; grant program repeals June 30, 2026, and reporting requirement repeals June 30, 2027.