Two state legislators have filed a bill that would increase the number of courses that Tennessee’s full-time state employees may enroll in without paying tuition charges, maintenance fees, student activity fees, registration fees or online course fees from one to four.
Senate Bill 1625/House Bill 1699, filed by state Sen. Paul Bailey and state Rep. Joe Pitts, would also make full-time employees of the state of Tennessee eligible for enrollment in up to four courses per academic year at any state supported college or university, college of applied technology, or the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute.
Among other changes, the bill is seeking to clarify that state employees shall be eligible to enroll in up to four courses per academic year, rather than one course per term.
“There are currently four distinct terms, including two minisemesters, which would allow a state employee student to take four courses in a year under current law,” according to a fiscal note drafted by the Tennessee General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee.
The proposed bill would affect full-time state employees who also enroll in courses as soon as the 2016-2017 academic year.
However, the full-time state employee’s course of choice can neither be more than four credit hours nor 120 clock hours, and the tuition fee waiver can only be used for one course at a time.
Those who want to apply a tuition waiver towards enrollment in online courses through the Regents Online Degree Program will be limited each year, and availability will be determined by the amount of funds allotted to such online course fee waivers.
Since the bill proposes no increase in the number of courses taken by eligible state employees, no increase in the number of waivers that will be given to state employees and no increase in the amount of the tuition and fee waiver, the state does not anticipate an increase in spending.
“This act shall take effect June 1, 2016, the public welfare requiring it, and shall apply to the 2016-2017 academic year and academic years thereafter,” according to Senate Bill 1625.
