Representative William Lawrence (R-District 70) refiled HB136, the Kentucky Student Tuition Protection & Accountability Act. It is co-sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Banta (R-Kenton) and will provide consistency for students by creating a lock for tuition and mandatory fees, preventing administrations from increasing the tuition rate at all taxpayer-funded, public four-year institutions for all in-state students, and placing more Kentuckians on the boards at our public universities.
“The tuition process is broken. Kentucky’s future cannot afford to pay the price of our public universities’ rising tuition costs and lack of meaningful representatives on their boards,” said Rep.Lawrence. “HB136 will require more student representation on the boards of our universities, including a graduate student for the first time in history. These provisions will allow all in-state students to better budget for their academic careers and provide better accountability of our universities by the Kentucky General Assembly. I promised to build opportunities for the 70th District. HB136 expands educational opportunities by fighting to ensure our universities are accessible and held accountable to serve Kentucky’s families and students.”
In a time of a decline in FAFSA competitions, HB136’s tuition process will create incentives for students to stay in Kentucky, provide students a better understanding of the cost of higher education, and provide Kentucky families with more confidence in their ability to send their children to school.
The slightest percentage change each year creates an environment of financial uncertainty and could raise an unscalable wall for Kentucky students to pursue a college degree. HB136’s requirement to keep tuition consistent for all four-year students will ensure that scholarships and grants, such as KEES money, do not depreciate each due to unexpected tuition increases.
The legislation has earned the endorsement of 119 student organizations affiliated with the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition, the state’s premier advocacy group dedicated to ensuring the voices of college students in Kentucky are heard in our government.
The organization led the successful passage of our nation’s two most extensive student rights protection bills, the Kentucky Campus Free Speech Protection Act and the Kentucky Campus Due Process Protection Act.
“Kentucky’s college students and families can no longer afford the cost of the broken tuition process, universities holding hostage the Commonwealth’s future,” said Michael Frazier, Executive Director of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition. “States that adopted tuition freezes and similar measures were ranked the highest competitively and had the lowest tuition rate in the nation. Students across Kentucky are coming together to support Representative Lawrence’s HB 136. The bill is supported by all 119 student org members of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition, including bringing the unanimous support of Student Governments at our public and private colleges. We appreciate Rep. Lawrence for listening to students and fighting for Kentucky’s students.”
Student Government Associations are included as endorsing organizations. HB136 is historical and endorsed by SGAs at both public and private institutions. SGA endorsing the legislation include the University of Louisville, Transylvania, Berea College, and the University of Kentucky presidential candidates.
Noah Young, Speaker of the Student Government Association Senate, President of University of Louisville Young Democrats, University of Louisville; and Liam Gallagher, President of the College of Arts and Sciences for the SGA issued this statement:
“As student leaders on the University of Louisville campus, we proudly support House Bill 136. Throughout our combined seven years at this University, we have seen the pitfalls and shortcomings of the University’s current relationship with students. The provisions in House Bill 136 provide the avenue for increased economic resilience among Kentucky students. In a time with record inflation and a rising cost of living, the provisions in House Bill 136 provide Kentucky’s next generation of students with the opportunity to plan their financial freedom. The number one reason that students drop out of college is because they face financial challenges. House Bill 136 would allow students to better budget for their time at school. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, Kentucky has almost 600,000 residents with some college but no degree. We believe that by allowing students to budget better for school, we could decrease this number in the future.
“House Bill 136 provides two additional student representatives on the Board of Trustees at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. This provision is the first in the Commonwealth to provide graduate students a seat at the table in their academic careers. In doing so, we are preparing Kentucky’s universities to be at the forefront of innovation and academic excellence. In consultation with the graduate students council members at UofL, we have authored and passed a resolution in the University of Louisville Student Government Association Senate unanimously supporting House Bill 136. At this time, we extend a letter of our personal support for this monumental legislation.”
The bill follows other states, and Kentucky’s oldest private college, which has already launched similar initiatives. Transylvania University, Ohio, Purdue University, William & Mary and North Carolina. Utah’s Governor and state legislation is also considering a tuition freeze initiative. The state of Ohio has signaled to follow the example of Kentucky by revisiting legislation to include fees.