Nevada Legislature: Assembly OKs bill raising bar for Millennium Scholarship

The Nevada Assembly has passed a bill requiring community college students to take more credits to qualify for the Millennium Scholarship.

The Assembly voted 31-10 on Friday to pass AB111. It now heads to the Senate.

Current law allows Nevada community college students to receive the scholarship if they take at least six credit hours a semester. The bill raises that to nine.

Republican sponsor Randy Kirner says the measure will push students to complete community college more quickly.

The scholarship provides enough money to cover up to 12 credit hours per semester. The bill would raise that number to 15 credit hours by 2017, although students still wouldn’t be able to receive more than $10,000 over a lifetime.

Opponents say the bill will drain the Millennium fund more quickly.