HB2897 Summary

• Establishes the Agricultural Workforce Development Program through University of Arizona Cooperative Extension to reimburse food-producing agricultural organizations for apprenticeship costs, with preference for rural, tribal, and historically underserved farmers and ranchers.

• Creates the Arizona Promise Program providing need-based financial assistance up to the cost of in-state tuition and fees for Arizona high school graduates with a 2.5+ GPA who qualify for federal Pell Grants and enroll full-time at Arizona universities.

• Prohibits Arizona Board of Regents, public universities, and community colleges from mandating COVID-19 vaccination, testing, or face coverings, except for students in clinical healthcare settings and during significant campus housing outbreaks with health department approval.

• Establishes a Return to Work Program providing community college scholarships of up to six credit hours per semester for up to two years to unemployed workers who maintain at least 20 hours weekly employment; program expires June 30, 2024.

• Repeals private postsecondary education student financial assistance and grant funds, transferring remaining balances to the postsecondary education fund; modifies state matching requirements for financial aid trust fund for fiscal year 2021-2022.