SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1274        FILED ON: 2/13/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2396

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Julian Cyr

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the Massachusetts National Guard Family Education Program.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1274        FILED ON: 2/13/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2396

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2502 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

An Act relative to the Massachusetts National Guard Family Education Program.

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. Chapter 33 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 137 the following section:-

Section 137A. The Massachusetts National Guard family education program (NGFEP) shall be an extension of the National Guard Education Assistance Program as outlined in Section 137, to include dependents of Massachusetts Guard members when requirements are met as specified.

National Guard members may split their state sponsored 130 credit tuition and fee waiver between dependents. Dependents are defined as immediate family members enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

The program shall be administered by the Military Division which will maintain a record of tuition and fee credit total, not to exceed 130 total credits per service member. The Military Division may issue a certificate of exemption from the matriculation fee and tuition to specified dependents of the Massachusetts Army or Air National Guard members enrolled at any state institution, in a program the cost of which is borne by the commonwealth, and who are qualified as provided in this section. Identified dependents must use their specified credit allotment within ten years of service member separation or by the age of 26, whichever date is later.

To receive benefits from the program, the member must extend their current service obligation or reenlist for NGFEP benefits after completing their initial 6-year military service obligation in the Massachusetts National Guard. In order to be eligible, the Massachusetts National Guard member must be eligible to serve an additional 6 year enlistment from the date of extension or reenlistment, be in good standing and a satisfactory participant in the Massachusetts National Guard, and have not previously used their 130 semester credit state tuition waiver.

No combination of member and/or dependents shall receive benefits in excess of 130 semester credit hours total.

Enrollment of a dependent in a course at any such institution shall be dependent on the availability of seats. For the purposes of this section, ''availability of seats'' is defined as vacancies that exist in a course after the enrollment of all tuition-paying students, and all students who are enrolled under any scholarship or tuition waiver provisions.