HB0088 - National guard educational assistance.

 

2001

State of Wyoming

01LSO-0018

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL NO.  HB0088

 

 

National guard educational assistance.

 

Sponsored by:


 

 

A BILL

 

for

 

 1  AN ACT relating to the Wyoming national guard; establishing
 2  an educational assistance plan for national guard members;
 3  specifying plan criteria, requirements and administration;
 4  granting rulemaking authority; providing an appropriation;
 5  and providing for an effective date.

 6 

 7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 8 

 9         Section 1.  W.S. 19-9-501 through 19-9-504 are created
10  to read:

11 

12                         ARTICLE 5

13                   EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE

14 

 

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 1         19-9-501.  Educational assistance for national guard
 2  members; administration of plan.

 3 

 4  The Wyoming national guard educational assistance plan is
 5  established to provide assistance for qualified members of
 6  the Wyoming national guard who enroll in institutions of
 7  higher education in this state.  The plan shall be
 8  administered by the adjutant general in accordance with the
 9  provisions of this article.  The adjutant general shall
10  promulgate rules for the administration, implementation and
11  proper utilization of the plan.

12 

13         19-9-502.  Definitions.

14 

15         (a)  As used in this article:

16 

17              (i)  "Authorized courses" means:

18 

19                   (A)  Credit courses which meet undergraduate
20  or graduate degree requirements; and

21 

22                   (B)  Credit courses which meet requirements
23  for completion of vocational or technical training for a

 

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 1  declared educational objective meeting requirements of
 2  rules promulgated pursuant to this article.

 3 

 4              (ii)  "Federal tuition assistance" means any
 5  payment made to or on behalf of a member by the federal
 6  government for educational assistance, excluding benefits
 7  paid pursuant to the Montgomery GI Bill;

 8 

 9              (iii)  "Member" means an active, in good
10  standing, member of the Wyoming national guard;

11 

12              (iv)  "Montgomery GI Bill" means the federal
13  Montgomery GI Bill Act of 1984, Public Law 98 – 525 and
14  subsequent amendments thereto;

15 

16              (v)  "Plan" means the educational assistance plan
17  established under this article;

18 

19              (vi)  "Wyoming institution of higher education"
20  or "institution" means a public or private educational
21  institution located within this state and approved for
22  payment of Montgomery GI Bill benefits;

23 

 

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 1              (vii)  "Wyoming public institutions of higher
 2  education" means the University of Wyoming and Wyoming
 3  community colleges.

 4 

 5         19-9-503.  Requirements for educational assistance;
 6  assistance payments.

 7 

 8         (a)  Subject to legislative appropriation and in
 9  accordance with the provisions of this article, the
10  adjutant general or his designee, may authorize the payment
11  of higher education tuition and mandatory fees for active
12  members of the Wyoming national guard.  To be eligible to
13  participate in the plan members shall:

14 

15              (i)  Have completed basic military training or
16  officer training;

17 

18              (ii)  Meet the standards for satisfactory
19  participation in the active Wyoming national guard at the
20  beginning of and throughout the entire academic term for
21  which assistance is received;

22 

23              (iii)  Be committed through an enlistment
24  contract or other written agreement to membership in the

 

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 1  active Wyoming national guard for not less than six (6)
 2  years;

 3 

 4              (iv)  Agree in writing to serve in the active
 5  Wyoming national guard for two (2) years after the last day
 6  of the last academic term for which assistance is received
 7  under the plan. This two (2) year period of service may be
 8  within the six (6) year commitment period required by
 9  paragraph (iii) of this subsection;

10 

11              (v)  Have declared an academic major or
12  educational objective; and

13 

14              (vi)  Meet the academic standards specified in
15  this paragraph and otherwise be in good standing as
16  determined by the institution of higher education pursuant
17  to a published policy.  Any member receiving educational
18  assistance under the plan who fails to earn a cumulative
19  grade point average at least equivalent to 2.0 on a 4.0
20  scale shall be ineligible for educational assistance under
21  the plan until the member attains that cumulative grade
22  point average.

23 

 

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 1         (b)  Members meeting the requirements of subsection
 2  (a) of this section may receive educational assistance
 3  benefit payments as follows:

 4 

 5              (i)  For authorized courses at a Wyoming public
 6  institution of higher education, payment may be made for up
 7  to the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees;

 8 

 9              (ii)  For authorized courses at a Wyoming private
10  institution of higher education, payment may be made for
11  the lesser of the actual costs of tuition and mandatory
12  fees or an amount equal to the average resident tuition and
13  mandatory fee charges of all Wyoming public institutions of
14  higher education for an undergraduate student enrolled for
15  twelve (12) semester hours;

16 

17              (iii)  Eligible members who are not Wyoming
18  residents may receive benefits as provided in paragraphs
19  (i) and (ii) of this subsection, but the benefit payment
20  shall not exceed the amount of tuition and mandatory fees
21  which would have been charged if the member were a Wyoming
22  resident;

23 

 

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 1              (iv)  Payment shall be made directly to the
 2  institution after the institution officially certifies that
 3  the member has registered;

 4 

 5              (v)  Payments under the plan together with any
 6  federal tuition assistance received by the member shall not
 7  exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the tuition and
 8  mandatory fees charged.

 9 

10         19-9-504.  Restrictions; repayment of benefits.

11 

12         (a)  Plan participation and benefit payments shall be
13  subject to the following additional restrictions and
14  qualifications:

15 

16              (i)  The plan may be used to complete only one
17  (1) degree, certificate or other educational objective;

18 

19              (ii)  Participation shall be limited to the
20  earlier of:

21 

22                   (A)  A period of ten (10) years from the
23  date of the participant's initial enrollment in the plan;
24  or

 

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 1 

 2                   (B)  The participant's completion of his one
 3  (1) degree, certificate or other educational objective.

 4 

 5              (iii)  Any member receiving educational
 6  assistance under the plan who fails to maintain
 7  satisfactory participation in the active Wyoming national
 8  guard shall repay all educational assistance granted under
 9  the plan for that current academic term.  The member shall
10  be ineligible for educational assistance under the plan
11  until the adjutant general has determined that the member
12  meets the minimum requirements for satisfactory membership
13  in the Wyoming national guard;

14 

15              (iv)  Any member who has received assistance
16  under the plan and who fails to complete the initial six
17  (6) year commitment required by W.S. 19-9-503(a)(iii) and
18  maintain satisfactory participation in the active Wyoming
19  national guard for the two (2) year period required by W.S.
20  19-9-503(a)(iv), shall repay all educational assistance
21  received under the plan.

22 

23         (b)  The adjutant general may promulgate rules waiving
24  repayment otherwise required under subsection (a) of this

 

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 1  section for death, incapacity or other good cause shown. 
 2  The adjutant general shall immediately transmit all
 3  repayments of benefits under the plan to the state
 4  treasurer for deposit in the state general fund.

 5 

 6         Section 2.  W.S. 19-7-103(b) by creating a new
 7  paragraph (xx) is amended to read:

 8 

 9         19-7-103.  Adjutant general; appointment; rank;
10  removal; duties and qualifications.

11 

12         (b)  The adjutant general of Wyoming shall have powers
13  and duties and be paid a salary as follows:

14 

15              (xx)  He shall administer the Wyoming national
16  guard educational assistance plan in accordance with W.S.
17  19-9-501 through 19-9-504.

18 

19         Section 3.  Two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) is
20  appropriated from the general fund to the adjutant general
21  for the Wyoming national guard educational assistance plan
22  during the 2001-2002 academic year.

23 

 

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 1         Section 4.  This act is effective July 1, 2001.

 2 

 3                         (END)

 

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