Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BRIAN BERGEN
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Thomson, DePhillips, Simonsen, McClellan and DiMaio
SYNOPSIS
Requires public institutions of higher education to waive tuition and fees for Medal of Honor and Purple Heart Medal military recipients.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning tuition and fees for certain military service members attending public institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
“Service member” means an individual who is serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard.
“Veteran” means an individual who served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard, and who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service.
b. A public institution of higher education shall waive the tuition and fees of that institution for any service member or veteran living in New Jersey who is the recipient of a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart Medal provided that the service member or veteran has:
(1) been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; and
(2) applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the service member or veteran is eligible.
The service member or veteran shall be permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at the institution and receive up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free for a maximum of eight semesters.
c. A service member or veteran shall demonstrate eligibility for waived tuition and fees in a manner and by a date determined by the governing board of the public institution of higher education.
2. This act shall take effect in the first full academic year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires public institutions of higher education to waive the tuition and fees for any service member or veteran living in New Jersey who is the recipient of a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart Medal provided that the service member or veteran has:
(1) been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; and
(2) applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the service member or veteran is eligible.
The service member or veteran is permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at the institution and receive up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free for a maximum of eight semesters.
Under the bill, a service member or veteran will demonstrate eligibility for waived tuition and fees in a manner and by a date determined by the governing board of the public institution of higher education.