Missouri § 261.285 - Missouri dairy scholars program — scholarship amount — eligible student defined.

§ 261.285. Missouri dairy scholars program — scholarship amount — eligible student defined.

1.  There is hereby established the "Missouri Dairy Scholars Program", which shall be administered by the department of agriculture.  The program shall, upon appropriation, provide scholarships, subject to the eligibility criteria enumerated in this section, for eligible students in an agriculture-related degree program who make a commitment to work in the agriculture industry in Missouri as a condition of receiving such scholarship.

2.  Subject to appropriations, each year the department of agriculture shall make available to eligible students up to eighty scholarships in the amount of five thousand dollars each to assist with the cost of eligible students' tuition and fees at a two-year or four-year college or university in Missouri.  Such amount shall be paid out of the Missouri dairy industry revitalization fund created in section 261.275.

3.  As used in this section, the term "eligible student" shall mean an individual who:

(1)  Is a United States citizen and a Missouri resident who has graduated from a Missouri high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least two and one-half on a four-point scale or equivalent; except that, in any year in which there are less than eighty United States citizens and Missouri residents who shall be awarded scholarships, applicants who are legal United States residents who meet all other eligibility requirements shall be eligible for the remaining scholarships;

(2)  Is pursuing or has attained an agriculture-related degree approved by the department of agriculture and offered by a two-year or four-year college or university in Missouri;

(3)  Signs an agreement with the department of agriculture in which the recipient agrees to work in the agriculture industry in Missouri for at least two years for every one year the recipient received the Missouri dairy scholars scholarship;

(4)  Maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least two and one-half on a four-point scale or equivalent while enrolled in the college or university program; and

(5)  Works on a dairy farm or has a dairy-related internship for at least three months of each year the recipient receives the Missouri dairy scholars scholarship.

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(L. 2015 H.B. 259)

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