SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2045        FILED ON: 1/16/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2008

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act establishing the Massachusetts GI bill to provide tuition and fee waivers for National Guard members and veterans..

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

SECTION 1. 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, 2009