Senate kills Otter’s ‘Adult Degree Completion’ scholarship plan on 16-17 vote

Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed “Adult Degree Completion” scholarship proposal went down to defeat in the Senate tonight on a 16-17 vote. The bill, SB 1291a , included $5 million a year in state funding for scholarships to help adults who never completed their degrees return to college and finish them up; it was aimed at Idaho’s goal of getting more of its population to have a certificate or degree beyond high school.

Here’s how the vote broke down:

Voting yes: Sens. Anthon, Brackett, Buckner-Webb, Burgoyne, Davis, Johnson, Jordan, Keough, Lee, McKenzie, Mortimer, Patrick, Souza, Stennett, Thayn and Ward-Engelking

Voting no: Sens. Bair, Bayer, DenHartog, Guthrie, Hagedorn, Harris, Heider, Hill, Lacey, Lodge, Martin, Nonini, Nuxoll, Rice, Siddoway, Vick and Winder.