2024 House Bill 231: AN ACT relating to public postsecondary education institutions

This bill would amend KRS 164.020 to prohibit the Council on Post-Sec Edu from raising tuition for a college/uni/post-sec more than 5% a year for resident students and 7% a year for nonresident students, provide a 4 year tuition freeze for an enrolled resident student require an institution to notify a student before expiration of a tuition freeze; require any increase in tuition or fees to be approved before March 1;  amend KRS 164.131 to add two additional full-time student members to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, including one graduate student; remove language regarding initial appointments; amend KRS 164.821 to add two additional full-time student members to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees, including one graduate student; remove language regarding initial appointments; amend KRS 164.321 to add two additional full-time student members to the boards of regents, including one full-time graduate student; remove language regarding initial appointments; amend KRS 164.7874 to require a private postsecondary institution to have a voting student member on its governing board in order to be a participating institution for purposes of KEES eligibility; provide that the Act may be cited as the Kentucky Student Tuition Protection and Accountability Act; EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2028

This bill does not make post-secondary education more affordable in Kentucky but would keep it from becoming more expensive. That is positive and commendable that the legislature is moving in this direction. Additionally, the inclusion of student members to the Board of Trustees at both UK and UofL is something that KSVT can stand behind.