About to begin his first legislative session as governor, Sean Parnell hasn't been shy about shooting a number of bill proposals to lawmakers. At the top of his priorities is a plan to provide scholarships to high school students following through with college or vocational training.

He released details of his plan - the Governor's Performance Scholarship, or GPS -  today as he sent the proposal on to lawmakers a few days before the session starts Jan. 19.

Parnell wants to set up a state fund with about $400 million, the interest on which would pay for graduates of Alaska high schools to attend in-state accredited universities or vo-tec programs. The higher a student's grade point average, the more scholarship money would be available: straight As would warrant a full ride on tuition, with Bs and Cs offering lower levels.

His plan is based on a model now running in about 22 other states.

Some lawmakers were resistant when the governor rolled out the concept last fall, mostly because "fencing off" $400 million of state money sounded an awful lot like establishing a dedicated fund, which is prohibited by the state's constitution.

But the details released today show Parnell wants to set up a non-dedicated fund under the Department of Revenue, with annual legislative appropriations required to actually pay for the scholarships.

Here's a PDF version of the governor's bill, along with letters explaining the proposal to House and Senate leadership:  GPS Bill