Alabama 2024 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Bill SB169 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	SB169INTRODUCED
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3	3	SB169
4	4	JG9TNFN-1
5	5	By Senator Kelley
6	6	RFD: Finance and Taxation Education
7	7	First Read: 28-Feb-24
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12	12	5 JG9TNFN-1 02/22/2024 MAP (L)ma 2024-311
13	13	Page 1
14	14	First Read: 28-Feb-24
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	Under existing law, educational benefits up to
17	17	the undergraduate level are available to eligible
18	18	dependents of deceased or disabled veterans, of those
19	19	veterans who are listed as missing in action, and of
20	20	those veterans who were prisoners of war while serving
21	21	as a member of the United States Armed Forces.
22	22	This bill would expand educational benefits to
23	23	eligible dependents to include post-bachelor and
24	24	graduate studies in a medical field.
25	25	A BILL
26	26	TO BE ENTITLED
27	27	AN ACT
28	28	Relating to Military Affairs; to amend Sections 31-6-4,
29	29	31-6-5, and 31-6-6, Code of Alabama 1975, to expand
30	30	educational benefits for eligible dependents of deceased or
31	31	disabled veterans and of veterans who are listed as missing in
32	32	action and veterans who were prisoners of war while serving as
33	33	a member of the United States Armed Forces, to include
34	34	post-bachelor and graduate studies in a medical field.
35	35	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
36	36	Section 1. Sections 31-6-4, 31-6-5, and 31-6-6, Code of
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66	66	Section 1. Sections 31-6-4, 31-6-5, and 31-6-6, Code of
67	67	Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
68	68	"§31-6-4
69	69	(a) Any child whose father or mother:
70	70	(1) Was killed or died in line of duty or is listed as
71	71	missing in action or is or was a prisoner of war or whose
72	72	death or permanent total disabilities were service-connected
73	73	while serving as a member of the armed forces;
74	74	(2) Died from a disability incurred from military
75	75	service, as established by the State Department of Veterans'
76	76	Affairs, after having been discharged under conditions other
77	77	than dishonorable and after having served at least 90 days
78	78	consecutively in the armed forces prior to and/or subsequent
79	79	to the date on which the disability occurred, or who was
80	80	honorably discharged by reason of a qualifying
81	81	service-connected disability after serving less than 90 days;
82	82	(3) Was killed or died while on state active duty
83	83	status as defined in Section 31-12-1, or whose death results
84	84	proximately and within three years from an injury received
85	85	while on state active duty status; or
86	86	(4) Has been assigned 100 percent permanent or total
87	87	disability rated by the United States Department of Veterans'
88	88	Administration Affairs, or was discharged or retired from the
89	89	armed forces with a 40 percent or more disability and
90	90	maintained that percentage , or has been assigned 40 percent or
91	91	more disability by the United States Department of Veterans'
92	92	Affairs as a result of a service-connected condition
93	93	regardless of when the disability rating is assigned ; may
94	94	attend any qualifying school for a period of five standard
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124	124	attend any qualifying school for a period of five standard
125	125	academic years, not to exceed 45 months or the equivalent of
126	126	45 months if enrolled part-time, pursuant to the tuition
127	127	reimbursement guidelines as provided in subsection (c).
128	128	Training under this section must be initiated prior to the
129	129	child's thirtieth birthday, and must be completed within eight
130	130	years after its initiation, except for delays caused by
131	131	military service during the training period, and in no case
132	132	may training be received under this chapter beyond the
133	133	thirty-eighth birthday of the child.
134	134	(b) The educational benefits provided by this section
135	135	to children making application for benefits for the first time
136	136	beginning with the fall term of the 2014-2015 academic year,
137	137	and thereafter, shall be limited toavailable for undergraduate
138	138	courses of study and post-bachelor and graduate courses of
139	139	study in a medical field only, and the value of tuition paid
140	140	shall be limited to the in-state tuition rate of the
141	141	qualifying school attended.
142	142	(c) For those first filing for benefits under this
143	143	chapter on or after July 31, 2017, and for those attending a
144	144	qualifying private school, the educational benefit shall be
145	145	for tuition reimbursement and books and fees reimbursement.
146	146	The value of tuition paid per semester hour ,(or equivalent),
147	147	shall be limited to the rate of the Department of Defense
148	148	Tuition Assistance Cap. The value of the books and fees paid
149	149	per semester shall be limited to one thousand dollars ($1,000)
150	150	per student.
151	151	(d) For the purpose of the minimum disability
152	152	requirement provided for in subdivision (a)(4), the dependent
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182	182	requirement provided for in subdivision (a)(4), the dependent
183	183	of any veteran whose disability rating as of July 31, 2017, is
184	184	at least 20 percent but less than 40 percent shall qualify for
185	185	the benefits of this chapter, provided that the dependent
186	186	shall file application for the benefits before July 31, 2023
187	187	2025, and the dependent is reasonably expected to be eligible
188	188	to attend a qualifying school in the next academic year."
189	189	"§31-6-5
190	190	(a) Any spouse or widow whose spouse, during their
191	191	marriage:
192	192	(1) Was killed or died in the line of duty or is listed
193	193	as missing in action or is or was a prisoner of war while
194	194	serving as a member of the armed forces;
195	195	(2) Died from a disability incurred from military
196	196	service; or
197	197	(3) Is 100 percent permanently and totally disabled,
198	198	whose permanent and total disabilities were service-connected;
199	199	shall be entitled to training in any qualifying school for a
200	200	period of five standard academic years, not to exceed 45
201	201	months, or to training for the equivalent of 45 months if
202	202	enrolled part-time, pursuant to the tuition reimbursement
203	203	guidelines as provided in subsection (c)(d). One change of
204	204	program will be allowed without counseling. All training
205	205	received under this section must be completed within eight
206	206	years after its initiation.
207	207	(b) This section shall not apply to the spouse of any
208	208	deceased serviceman or veteran who has remarried prior to
209	209	applying for and obtaining educational benefits under this
210	210	section, and should any spouse of the deceased serviceman or
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240	240	section, and should any spouse of the deceased serviceman or
241	241	veteran remarry during the time he or she is in attendance
242	242	upon any of the qualifying schools mentioned in this section,
243	243	then he or she shall pay tuition and fees for the course of
244	244	study or attendance upon the qualifying school from the time
245	245	of the remarriage.
246	246	(b)(c) The educational benefits provided by this
247	247	section to spouses and widows making application for benefits
248	248	for the first time beginning with the fall term of the
249	249	2014-2015 academic year, and thereafter, shall be limited
250	250	toavailable for undergraduate courses of study onlyand
251	251	post-bachelor and graduate courses of study in a medical
252	252	field, and the value of tuition paid shall be limited to the
253	253	in-state tuition rate of the qualifying school attended.
254	254	(c)(d) For those first filing for benefits under this
255	255	chapter on or after July 31, 2017, and for those attending a
256	256	qualifying private school, the educational benefit shall be
257	257	for tuition reimbursement and books and fees reimbursement.
258	258	The value of tuition paid per semester hour ,(or equivalent),
259	259	shall be limited to the rate of the Department of Defense
260	260	Tuition Assistance Cap. The value of the books and fees paid
261	261	per semester shall be limited to one thousand dollars ($1,000)
262	262	per student."
263	263	"§31-6-6
264	264	(a) The spouse and children of any veteran who is
265	265	suffering from 40 to 90 percent service-connected disability
266	266	brought about from service in the Armed Forces of the United
267	267	States, or the widow and children of a deceased veteran who
268	268	was suffering from 40 percent or more of service-connected
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298	298	was suffering from 40 percent or more of service-connected
299	299	disability at the time of death, as established by the State
300	300	Department of Veterans' Affairs, shall be entitled to the
301	301	following educational advantages and opportunities:
302	302	(1) The spouse or widow shall be entitled to up to 27
303	303	months of schooling, or the equivalent of 27 months if
304	304	enrolled part-time, in any qualifying school, pursuant to the
305	305	tuition reimbursement guidelines as provided in subsection
306	306	(d). One change of program will be allowed without counseling.
307	307	All training received at qualifying schools under this
308	308	subdivision must be completed within a period of six years
309	309	after its initiation.
310	310	(2) Each child of a disabled veteran shall be entitled
311	311	to five standard academic years, or the equivalent of 45
312	312	months if enrolled part-time, in any qualifying school
313	313	pursuant to the tuition reimbursement guidelines as provided
314	314	in subsection (d). One change of program will be allowed
315	315	without counseling. Training under this subdivision must be
316	316	initiated prior to the child's twenty-sixth birthday, and must
317	317	be completed within eight years after its initiation, except
318	318	for delays caused by military service during the training
319	319	period, and in no case may training be received under this
320	320	section beyond the thirty-fourth birthday of the child.
321	321	(b) For the purpose of the minimum disability
322	322	requirement provided for in subsection (a), the dependent of
323	323	any veteran whose disability rating as of July 31, 2017, is at
324	324	least 20 percent but less than 40 percent shall qualify for
325	325	the benefits of this chapter, provided that the dependent
326	326	shall file application for benefits before July 31, 2023 2025,
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356	356	shall file application for benefits before July 31, 2023 2025,
357	357	and the dependent is reasonably expected to be eligible to
358	358	attend a qualifying school in the next academic year.
359	359	(c) The educational benefits provided by this section
360	360	to spouses, children, and widows making application for
361	361	benefits for the first time beginning with the fall term of
362	362	the 2014-2015 academic year, and thereafter, shall be limited
363	363	toavailable for undergraduate courses of study onlyand
364	364	post-bachelor and graduate courses of study in a medical
365	365	field, and the value of tuition paid shall be limited to the
366	366	in-state tuition rate of the qualifying school attended.
367	367	(d) For those first filing for benefits under this
368	368	chapter on or after July 31, 2017, and for those attending a
369	369	qualifying private school, the educational benefit shall be
370	370	for tuition reimbursement and books and fees reimbursement.
371	371	The value of tuition paid per semester hour ,(or equivalent),
372	372	shall be limited to the rate of the Department of Defense
373	373	Tuition Assistance Cap. The value of the books and fees paid
374	374	per semester shall be limited to one thousand dollars ($1,000)
375	375	per student."
376	376	Section 2. This act shall become effective on January
377	377	1, 2025.
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