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HOUSE BILL 704
By White
SENATE BILL 719
By Taylor
SB0719
002544
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 4, relative to financial aid.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-902(11), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(D) For purposes of the Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant and the Wilder-
Naifeh reconnect grant, a private, nonprofit technical school that:
(i) Has had its primary campus domiciled in this state for at least seventy-
five (75) consecutive years;
(ii) Is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education; and
(iii) In addition to offering diploma, certificate, and associate degree
programs, offers a baccalaureate degree through an articulation agreement with
a regionally accredited postsecondary institution;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-902(46), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(46) "Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant" means a grant funded from net
proceeds of the state lottery and awarded under this part for coursework in an eligible
program of study at a Tennessee college of applied technology operated by the board of
regents of the state university and community college system or an eligible independent
postsecondary institution as defined in subdivision (11)(D).
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-921, is amended by deleting
subsection (a) and substituting:
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(a) To be eligible for a Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant, a student seeking a
QNDC, diploma, or certificate at a Tennessee college of applied technology operated by
the board of regents of the state university and community college system or an eligible
independent postsecondary institution as defined in § 49-4-902(11)(D) shall:
(1) Meet the requirements of §§ 49-4-904 and 49-4-905(a); and
(2) Be admitted to the institution in a program of study leading to a
certificate or diploma.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-923, is amended by deleting
subsection (b) and substituting:
(b) To be eligible for a Wilder-Naifeh reconnect grant, a student seeking a
diploma or certificate at a Tennessee college of applied technology operated by the
board of regents of the state university and community college system or an eligible
independent postsecondary institution as defined in § 49-4-902(11)(D) shall:
(1) Meet the requirements of §§ 49-4-904 and 49-4-905(a);
(2) Be admitted to the institution in an eligible program of study;
(3) Complete and file the FAFSA. Students must complete the FAFSA
each academic year in which they seek to receive the Wilder-Naifeh reconnect
grant; and
(4) Be an independent student as determined by the FAFSA.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-923, is amended by deleting
subsection (g) and substituting:
(g)
(1) Subject to the amounts appropriated by the general assembly and
any law relating to a shortfall in funds available for postsecondary financial
assistance from the net proceeds of the state lottery, a Wilder-Naifeh reconnect
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grant awarded under this section is for independent students as determined by
the FAFSA. The amount of a Wilder-Naifeh reconnect grant:
(A) For students enrolled in a Tennessee college of applied
technology, is the cost of tuition and mandatory fees at the Tennessee
college of applied technology attended less all other gift aid, which must
be credited first to the student's tuition and mandatory fees; or
(B) For students enrolled in an eligible independent
postsecondary institution as defined in § 49-4-902(11)(D), is the average
cost of tuition and mandatory fees at Tennessee colleges of applied
technology less all other gift aid, which must be credited first to the
student's tuition and mandatory fees.
(2) Notwithstanding § 49-4-902, "gift aid" as used in this section is
financial aid received from a federal Pell grant, a Tennessee student assistance
award, and any scholarship or grant funded from net lottery proceeds under this
part.
SECTION 6. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to students seeking postsecondary financial aid for the 2025-2026 academic year and
each academic year thereafter.