HB22-1002 Summary

• Removes the annual cap on ASCENT program participants, allowing all qualified students designated by local education providers to participate instead of limiting enrollment through the budget process.

• Reduces the postsecondary credit hour requirement for program eligibility from 12 credit hours to 6 credit hours completed prior to twelfth-grade completion.

• Shifts designation authority from the Department of Education to individual local education providers, which must report estimated participant numbers to the department for budget planning.

• Requires the state to distribute 3% of per-pupil extended high school funding to each local education provider for every ASCENT participant to cover non-tuition expenses such as books, fees, and transportation.

• Eliminates tuition repayment requirements for students who fail to complete concurrent enrollment courses or earn failing grades in those courses.