According to national statistics, high school dropouts earn 68-hundred dollars less annually than graduates. They are more likely to battle addiction, have a criminal record and suffer poor health. In Kentucky, the dropout rate in 2008 was 28-percent. Currently, the General Assembly is considering a bill to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18. The measure has gained support from a statewide initiative, Graduate Kentucky, which is spearheaded by First Lady Jane Beshear.