"It will not pay for their entire college, but it might buy them a full semester, it might come in handy at a point in their lives when they badly need an extra $1,000 or $1,400 to get them to graduation," Kendell said.

Roughly 7,000 students are expected to participate in the first year, requiring a $7 million appropriation from the Legislature. However, Hillyard said he'll be seeking "more than it would take to get it off the ground."

"What if more people participate over time? I would say 'Hurray,"' Kendell said. "From our perspective, when you get a person to go to college there's a much greater chance that they will become a self-sustaining adult, meaning that they will get a job, have access to health care, pay into a pension and pay taxes."

Last year, Hillyard proposed a $20 million endowment for student scholarships, which the Legislature did not pass. Kendell said the idea is more developed this year and they will also hit up businesses for help with fund-raising.

"We don't want finance to be a problem or a barrier to any person in Utah who wants to go to college and better their lives and better their skills," he said.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com