AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 8, relative to the Senator Ben Atchley Opportunity Grant Act.
Summary
SB1387 amends Tennessee’s Senator Ben Atchley Opportunity Grant Act, which provides state grant aid to Tennessee resident students attending certain private postsecondary institutions. The bill revises the eligibility language in Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-4-803 to specify that, in addition to independent nonprofit colleges and universities accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, grant funding may extend, to the extent feasible within existing budget resources, to students at certain eligible independent and private nonprofit institutions that meet a detailed set of criteria.
Under the bill, qualifying institutions must have a 2013 memorandum of understanding with the state, hold regional accreditation, use a competency-based education model, maintain a physical campus or location in Tennessee, have a governing body or advisory board based in Tennessee with oversight of Tennessee operations, and have been chartered in Tennessee as a nonprofit for at least five consecutive years. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill narrows and clarifies the statutory criteria for institutions whose Tennessee resident students may receive Senator Ben Atchley Opportunity Grants, effectively tying eligibility to specific institutional characteristics and historical relationships with the state. It affects Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 8, and may influence which private nonprofit postsecondary institutions can participate in the grant program and which students can receive aid, subject to available Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation budget resources.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests broad support for the bill, with the Senate Education Committee recommending passage by a 9-0 vote and no recorded opposition in the provided materials. There is no committee transcript indicating controversy, and the bill appears to have been treated as a targeted higher-education funding and eligibility measure rather than a contentious policy change.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the bill’s highly specific eligibility framework, which appears to favor a limited set of institutions that already have a prior partnership with the state and meet multiple structural requirements. That could raise concerns from institutions or students excluded by the new criteria, particularly those without a 2013 memorandum of understanding, without a Tennessee-based governing body, or without a competency-based model. Another possible issue is the bill’s dependence on existing budgetary resources, which leaves implementation subject to funding availability.