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Gov. Brad Little’s workforce scholarships bill was likened to ‘welfare.’ How senators voted

Idaho high school students soon will be eligible for thousands in scholarships if they stay in-state for college or workforce training.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved Gov. Brad Little’s proposal to create $8,500 grants targeted at Idaho students seeking education and training for in-demand jobs. A follow-up bill would reduce the scholarship amount and limit which education providers are eligible, but that bill has yet to clear the House.

Little’s bill met opposition in both chambers. It passed the House by one vote, with most GOP members opposed.

Republican senators said Wednesday they’re concerned the trailer bill scaling back the program wouldn’t cross the finish line, and hardline conservatives likened the workforce scholarships to “corporate welfare.”

“I can see if we create this new program, a corporate welfare program by its very definition, that all we’re going to do is raise the costs associated with products and services,” Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, said on the floor.

Little has disputed such claims.

“Our responsibility is to do the K-12 education and then provide more opportunities going forward,” Little previously told the Idaho Statesman. “This is just fulfilling our obligation. This is not going to be a freebie for anything.”

With Democratic support, it won a small majority in the Senate. Supporters said the scholarships will broaden opportunities for job seekers as Idaho businesses struggle to find qualified workers.

“I think we will look back in a decade or so and think that we have done something that has made a difference to keep our students in Idaho, contributing to Idaho and our economy,” said Senate Assistant Majority Leader Abby Lee, R-Fruitland.

Senate passes trailer bill limiting scholarships

Little’s bill expands an existing program, Idaho Launch, which is currently designed for mid-career training and job seeking, and directs $102 million to scholarships starting with Idaho high school students graduating in 2024.

Students seeking degrees at four-year universities and community colleges and enrolling in workforce training programs, such as construction and other trade schooling, are eligible for the $8,500 scholarship. It would cover tuition as well as room and board.

The follow-up bill, crafted by the GOP Senate leaders, would cap the grants at 80% of tuition and fees, or $8,000 total per student, trimming the total cost for the state to $80 million. It also would eliminate eligibility for four-year university programs but maintain community college and trade school tuition. And it would remove room and board as an eligible expense.

“I think they’re important because they put some limits,” Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said of the proposed changes.

Sen. Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg, said that Little’s bill should have been amended to include those changes, rather than relying on a trailer bill that may not pass the House.

“We’re handing away all our bargaining chips,” Ricks said.

The Senate passed the trailer bill Wednesday. It now heads to the House.