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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri SB 1121 restructures university and college funding and expands Bright Flight scholarships for workforce programs
Last action · February 24, 2026: Hearing Conducted S Education CommitteeSponsor: Curtis Trent
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri SB 1121 establishes the Missouri Higher Education Funding Policy Prioritization Act, requiring a new cost-based and performance-driven funding model for public colleges and universities starting in the 2028-29 . It also increases Bright Flight Scholarship amounts to cover full in-state tuition for up to four semesters for eligible students enrolled in high-priority Fast Track workforce programs, with renewal options up to six semesters.
The measure directly alters how public universities, community colleges, and technical schools receive state operating funds and changes scholarship amounts and duration for high-achieving college students enrolled in designated workforce fields.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Bright Flight Scholarship recipients
Eligible students receive scholarship amounts equal to actual in-state tuition for up to four semesters, or up to six semesters for renewal students enrolled in designated workforce programs.
Four-year institutions, community colleges, and State Technical College of Missouri
State appropriations for these institutions will be determined by a new cost-based and performance-driven funding model starting in the 2028-29 fiscal year.
Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
The agency is tasked with developing, testing, evaluating, and reporting on the new higher education funding model according to statutory deadlines.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does SB 1121 change the Bright Flight Scholarship Program?
What is the timeline for establishing the new higher education funding model?
Which institutions are included in the new funding model requirements?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 24, 2026SenateHearing Conducted S Education Committee
- Jan 15, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Education Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 1, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 5718S.01I - Introduced version. 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transition to Cost-Based and Performance Higher Ed Funding
The bill shifts public higher education appropriations away from historical baselines toward a standardized, cost-based and performance-driven model aligned with workforce needs.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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