The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation presented a package of rule amendments Jan. 27 covering four separate programs: the Step‑Up Scholarship (for students with intellectual disabilities), Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect and the Middle College scholarship. The Government Operations committee approved the rules after members received explanations and asked clarifying questions.

TSAC’s Lou Haneman and staff said the Step‑Up rule changes give the TSAC executive director limited flexibility to adjust application deadlines for exigent circumstances, clarify the 16‑month enrollment window to begin at the end of any transitional program (not merely high‑school graduation), and harmonize appeals language with other TSAC rules.

The Tennessee Promise amendments respond to statutory changes and federal FAFSA updates: the rule replaces the “expected family contribution” definition with the federal “student aid index,” clarifies residency requirements at application time, and confirms that spring or summer coursework prior to an initial fall term will be counted in cumulative GPA only at the end of the academic year. TSAC representatives said statutory changes adopted in 2024 made some previous rule language (about early high‑school graduates) unnecessary.

Tennessee Reconnect rule changes include an executive‑director discretion clause for application deadlines, clarification that part‑time semesters authorized by the program do not count against a five‑year eligibility window, and language allowing stacked/stackable credentials when they are part of an integrated postsecondary pathway.

The Middle College rule changes add an “eligible program of study” definition consistent with other TSAC rules, clarify award amounts for part‑time or three‑quarter enrollment, and include the same executive‑director deadline flexibility.

TSAC said public hearings on the packages were held Sept. 26, 2024, and no commenters attended. Committee members pressed on outreach for English‑language learners and asked TSAC to provide additional details; Representative Hardaway said he would vote against one motion if TSAC did not provide follow‑up information about accommodations for ESL speakers, a point TSAC acknowledged it would follow up on.

The committee recorded roll call votes in the Senate and voice votes in the House; the rules were approved by the committee.