State Representative Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) introduced two new bills on Thursday that will codify the age expansion of the Michigan Reconnect program to include 21 to 24-year-olds. The Reconnect program provides state scholarships to certain qualified individuals returning to school to earn an associate’s degree or skill certificate, allowing them to attend tuition-free or significantly discounted.

While it was available initially to only Michigan residents 25 years and older, Greene’s House Bills 4377 and 4378 would ensure these opportunities remain available to applicants aged 21-24 as well. Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) also introduced similar legislation in the Senate, complementing Greene’s efforts in a bipartisan push to expand opportunities in Michigan education.

“Lowering the age for Michigan Reconnect is a game-changer for our workforce,” Greene said. “This will open the door for countless hard-working adults in their 20’s and enable them to step in and strengthen our economy. When we invest in people, we don’t just build careers — we build confidence, communities and a future where Michigan leads the nation in opportunity.”

Since it launched with bipartisan support in 2021, Michigan Reconnect has enabled more than 66,000 students to re-enroll in college and attain critical educational credentials, boosting Michigan’s workforce with thousands of additional extra-qualified individuals. The program temporarily expanded its age range down to 21-year-olds last year and saw an additional 12,500 applicants aged 21-24 enroll. Greene’s bills will keep this program open to those younger applicants while also ensuring fiscal responsibility with a 2032 sunset date.

“Making the expanded age range a long-term part of this program is a commonsense move,” Greene said. “Michigan Reconnect helps those Michigan residents that most desire to get valuable job qualifications and return to the workforce with them. That kind of initiative is a huge benefit to our free-market economy, and we should encourage it in as many post-college aged workers as are willing to put in the effort.”

The introduction of this legislation follows the Michigan House’s passage last week of another legislative plan spearheaded by Greene to improve Michigan’s educational opportunities with alterations to the state’s standardized testing and educational curriculum requirements. The chamber passed House Bills 4156 and 4157, which were both introduced by Greene and would implement changes to enable local schools to better accommodate students’ needs, allow for more workplace development courses, and account for the differences in students’ abilities and performance when it comes to annual testing.

“We can customize education without compromising quality,” Greene said in a speech in support of the bills on the House floor. “We can hold schools accountable without relying on a single test. And we must trust our local communities, our teachers, our parents, and our boards of education, which these bills empower.”