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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky HB 240 redefines student residency criteria for postsecondary education tuition and admission
Last action · January 15, 2026: to Postsecondary Education (H)Sponsors: Deanna Gordon and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
The General Assembly proposes amending KRS 164.020 to explicitly define state residency for postsecondary education, qualifying students who were born in Kentucky or met residency requirements in their final year of high school and enrolled within two years of graduation. The measure is titled the Welcome Back to My Old Kentucky Home Initiative.
Determines which students qualify for in-state tuition rates versus out-of-state rates at public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
- The Council on Postsecondary Education is the coordinating agency for public higher education in Kentucky, responsible for setting tuition policies, minimum admission requirements, and institutional missions. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Students
Students must meet specific birth or recent high school graduation criteria to be classified as Kentucky residents for tuition and admission purposes.
Council on Postsecondary Education
The council is required to classify student residency according to the newly mandated statutory definitions.
Key Facts
- The Council on Postsecondary Education must classify a student as a Kentucky resident if the student was born in Kentucky or met residency requirements at the beginning of their last year in high school and enters a Kentucky postsecondary institution within two years of graduation.
- The Council on Postsecondary Education determines tuition and approves minimum qualifications for admission to the state postsecondary educational system.
- The Kentucky Community and Technical College System may assess a mandatory student fee not to exceed eight dollars per credit hour exclusively for debt service on specific agency bond projects.
- The Council on Postsecondary Education is prohibited from approving any new degree, certificate, or diploma program that requires a course or training primarily intended to indoctrinate participants with a discriminatory concept.
Show all 6 facts
- The measure officially cites the short title as the Welcome Back to My Old Kentucky Home Initiative.
- The council must submit an annual performance and effectiveness report to the Strategic Committee on Postsecondary Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly by December 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies as a Kentucky resident for tuition purposes under this bill?
What is the official title of this legislative act?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 15, 2026HouseCommitteeto Postsecondary Education (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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