HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3174        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3401

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act establishing the Masschusetts GI bill for veterans..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is forthwith to provide higher education tuition and fee waiver programs for veterans. therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Section 19 of chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the third paragraph, inserted by section 2A of chapter 130 of the acts of 2005, and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

Such guidelines shall provide tuition and fee waivers for Massachusetts National Guard members and veterans, as defined in clause forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4.  The commonwealth, not the institutions of public higher education, shall bear the cost of such tuition and fee waivers for Massachusetts National Guard members and veterans.  The guidelines shall also require applicants for tuition and fee waivers under this paragraph to demonstrate application for all available federal educational financial aid.   The board shall report in writing the number and cost of waivers under this paragraph not later than January 1 and June 1 of each year to the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs and the house and senate committees on ways and means.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.