DOA:......Stinebrink, BB0559 - National Guard Tuition Grant Program
For 2025-2027 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
EDUCATION
Higher education
Tuition grant program for national guard members
This bill also makes changes to DMA’s tuition grant program for national guard members. See Military Affairs.
MILITARY AFFAIRS
Tuition grant program for national guard members
This bill makes changes to DMA’s tuition grant program relating to the grant amount awarded to national guard members for higher education as well as the name of the grants.
Under current law, DMA awards tuition grants to eligible national guard members enrolled in qualifying schools, which include public and private institutions of higher education. The amount of the tuition grant payment is equal to 100 percent of the actual tuition charged by the guard member’s school or 100 percent of the maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by the UW-Madison for a comparable number of credits, whichever amount is less.
This bill specifies that, in calculating the amount of tuition charged by a qualifying school, the amount includes tuition and segregated fees if the school is a UW System institution and includes program fees and incidental fees if the school is a technical college. The bill also renames grants awarded under the program as “educational grants” rather than “tuition grants.” The bill further specifies that, subject to exceptions, if an eligible guard member receives an educational grant, no other award of financial aid to the guard member may be reduced because of the educational grant.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. 20.465 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.465 (2) (a) Tuition Educational grants. A sum sufficient for the payment of tuition educational grants to members of the Wisconsin national guard under s. 321.40 (3).
Section 2. 321.40 (1) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 321.40 (1) (ar).
Section 3. 321.40 (1) (d) of the statutes is renumbered 321.40 (1) (am) and amended to read:
321.40 (1) (am) “Tuition Educational grant” means any tuition cost payment made by the department under sub. (3).
Section 4. 321.40 (2) (intro.), (e) and (f) of the statutes are amended to read:
321.40 (2) Eligible guard member. (intro.) Eligibility for a tuition an educational grant under this section is limited to a guard member who is not:
(e) Failing to achieve satisfactory academic progress in a qualifying school when the tuition educational grant is applied for.
(f) Failing to be an actively drilling guard member when the tuition educational grant is applied for.
Section 5. 321.40 (3) (title), (a), (b) (intro.), (c) and (d) of the statutes are amended to read:
321.40 (3) (title) Tuition Educational grants. (a) Any eligible guard member enrolled in a full-time or part-time course in a qualifying school may apply for a tuition an educational grant equal to 100 percent of the actual tuition charged by the school or 100 percent of the maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a comparable number of credits, whichever amount is less. In calculating the maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for purposes of this paragraph, the department shall include in the calculation all additional tuition established or approved by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under s. 36.27 (1) (a) for undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and for students enrolled in a particular undergraduate academic program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison if the eligible guard member is enrolled in the same or equivalent program.
(b) (intro.) Application for tuition educational grants shall:
(c) Except as provided under par. (d), upon determination that the applicant is eligible to receive the payment, the department shall make payment of the tuition educational grant, on behalf of the applicant, to the qualifying school in which the applicant is enrolled in the amount determined under par. (a). Notwithstanding par. (b) 2., the department shall rely on a qualifying school’s certification in determining that an applicant is eligible under sub. (2) (e) to receive the payment and the department shall make the payment not later than 30 days after the department receives the certification.
(d) Tuition Educational grants under this section shall be paid out of the appropriation under s. 20.465 (2) (a).
Section 6. 321.40 (3) (e) and (f) of the statutes are created to read:
321.40 (3) (e) In calculating the amount of tuition charged under par. (a), all of the following apply:
1. For a University of Wisconsin System institution, tuition includes academic fees, as defined in s. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1g., for a resident student or nonresident tuition, as defined in s. 36.27 (3p) (a) 1m., for a nonresident student, as well as segregated fees under s. 36.27 (6).
2. For a technical college, tuition includes program fees under s. 38.24 (1m) and incidental fees under s. 38.14 (9).
(f) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., an educational grant under this section shall be paid in full and no other award of financial aid to an eligible guard member who receives an educational grant under this section may be reduced because of the educational grant.
2. This paragraph does not apply to the extent it would result in an overaward of financial assistance in violation of federal law or regulation or would violate the terms of a donation agreement for a privately funded grant or scholarship.
Section 7. 321.40 (4) (a) (intro.), 2., 3. and 4. and (b) of the statutes are amended to read:
321.40 (4) (a) (intro.) The department shall require a guard member who has received a tuition an educational grant under this section to repay the amount of the tuition educational grant to the department if any of the following applies:
2. The guard member is not a member in good standing in the national guard at the end of the term for which the tuition educational grant is paid.
3. The guard member has failed to be an actively drilling guard member at the end of the term for which the tuition educational grant is paid.
4. The guard member has failed to achieve satisfactory academic progress at the end of the term for which the tuition educational grant is paid.
(b) 1. A qualifying school that receives payment of a tuition an educational grant on behalf of a guard member under sub. (3) (c) shall notify the department if the guard member has failed to achieve satisfactory academic progress at the end of the term for which the tuition educational grant is paid.
2. If a guard member is required to repay a tuition an educational grant for any of the reasons specified in par. (a), the department may require the qualifying school that received the tuition educational grant on behalf of the guard member to recover from the guard member the amount of the tuition educational grant and remit it to the department. A qualifying school may take any reasonable action to secure repayment of the amount of a tuition an educational grant under this subdivision, including placing a hold on course registration or on the awarding of a degree or certificate, undertaking collection efforts, or initiating legal action.
Section 8. 321.40 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
321.40 (5) Limitations. (a) No guard member is eligible for a tuition an educational grant under this section for more than 120 credits of part-time study or 8 full semesters of full-time study or the equivalent thereof.
(b) If the U.S. congress establishes an active draft after July 1, 1977, no new tuition educational grants may be authorized under this section. The department shall determine if an active draft has been established. Any termination of the tuition educational grant program under this paragraph shall allow persons receiving grants prior to the establishment of an active draft to receive full benefits subject to sub. (3) (d) and par. (a).
(c) No guard member may receive a tuition an educational grant under sub. (3) for any semester in which he or she received a payment under s. 45.20 (2).
(d) No guard member may receive a tuition an educational grant under this section unless he or she is a member in good standing in the national guard at the time of application for the tuition educational grant.
Section 9. 321.40 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:
321.40 (6) Coordination with qualifying schools. The department shall consult and coordinate with qualifying schools in establishing a process for distributing tuition educational grants that accomplishes all of the following:
(a) Maximizes administrative efficiency for qualifying schools in applying tuition educational grants to student accounts.
(b) Provides tuition educational grants to students in an expeditious manner that minimizes students’ need to incur debt while waiting for the grants to fund in their student accounts.
Section 9331. Initial applicability; Military Affairs.
(1) Educational grant program. The treatment of s. 321.40 (3) (e) and (f) first applies to applications for educational grants for an academic term that begins after the effective date of this subsection.
(end)
