FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 716
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR FITZWATER.
2851S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to college tuition for
dependents of certain veterans.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is am ended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 173.237, to read as 2
follows:3
173.237. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Missouri Disabled Veterans' Dependents Tuition 2
Waiver". 3
2. As used in this section , the following terms mean: 4
(1) "Board", the coordinating board for higher 5
education; 6
(2) "Institution", any approved public institution, as 7
defined in subdivision (3) of subsection 1 of section 8
173.1102; 9
(3) "Tuition", any tuition or incidental fee, or both, 10
charged by an institution for attendance at the institution 11
by a student as a resident of this state, but not to exceed 12
the amount of tuition charged to a Missouri resident at the 13
University of Missouri -Columbia for attendance. 14
3. A dependent of a veteran shall be eligible for a 15
waiver of all tuition remaining due to an institution after 16
subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and state 17 SB 716 2
scholarships and grants if the dependent meets the following 18
requirements: 19
(1) The dependent is a resident of this state who 20
meets the institution's requirements for establishing 21
Missouri residency for the purpose of paying in -state 22
tuition; 23
(2) The dependent has a parent, stepparent, or spouse 24
who is or was a member of the armed forces of the United 25
States who: 26
(a) Died while on active duty; 27
(b) Died of a service-connected disability; 28
(c) Died subsequent to discharge from the armed forces 29
as a result of injury or illness sustained while servin g as 30
a member of the armed forces, whether or not the injury or 31
illness resulted in total disability; 32
(d) Is rated as permanently and totally disabled as a 33
result of military service as certified by the United States 34
Department of Veterans Affair s, excluding temporary total 35
disability ratings or other temporary disability ratings 36
given for conditions expected to improve, but including 37
ratings for total disability based on individual 38
unemployability if the unemployability is permanent; or 39
(e) Is classified as missing in action or as a 40
prisoner of war during armed hostilities while serving as a 41
member of the armed forces; and 42
(3) If the dependent is a child or stepchild of a 43
veteran described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, 44
such dependent shall be under twenty -six years of age, 45
unless the dependent serves on active duty with the armed 46
forces of the United States after such dependent's 47
eighteenth birthday but before such dependent's twenty -sixth 48
birthday, in which case th e eligibility period shall end 49 SB 716 3
five years after the date of the dependent's first discharge 50
or release from duty from the armed forces, but in no event 51
shall such eligibility period be extended beyond the 52
dependent's thirty-first birthday. 53
4. An application for a tuition waiver shall be 54
submitted on a form to be prescribed by the executive 55
director of the Missouri veterans commission. The executive 56
director shall ensure that the application process is 57
accessible, transparent, and efficiently administered. 58
5. The executive director of the Missouri veterans 59
commission or the executive director's designee shall: 60
(1) Establish application procedures by prescribing 61
and providing all necessary forms, setting application 62
deadlines, and determining required documentation for 63
dependents of disabled veterans to apply for the tuition 64
waiver; 65
(2) Review and determine applicant eligibility, verify 66
documentation, and certify approved applicants. Upon 67
certification, the executive dir ector shall notify the 68
applicant and the institution in which the applicant desires 69
to enroll. The executive director's decision shall be final 70
and binding, absent fraud or misrepresentation; 71
(3) Promulgate necessary rules and regulations to 72
ensure effective administration of this section, including 73
procedures for eligibility verification, fraud prevention, 74
and program oversight; 75
(4) Coordinate with the board to facilitate 76
communication with institutions, ensure proper 77
implementation of waivers, and maintain program efficiency; 78
and 79 SB 716 4
(5) Oversee program compliance and reporting by 80
maintaining records of waiver recipients, monitoring 81
participation, and providing periodic reports to the board. 82
6. The board shall: 83
(1) Ensure consistent implementation of this section 84
across all institutions, including institutional compliance 85
and reporting; 86
(2) Develop and distribute procedures and guidelines 87
for institutions to process tuition waivers, ensuring that 88
certified applicants are enrolled without tuition charges; 89
and 90
(3) Coordinate with the Missouri veterans commission 91
to ensure seamless communication between certifying 92
authorities and institutions, preventing administrative 93
delays for eligible applicants. 94
7. The waiver shall be valid for one degree, diploma, 95
or certificate from a community college and one 96
baccalaureate degree from a state college or university. 97
Receipt of such degree, diploma, or certificate from a 98
community college shall precede re ceipt of such 99
baccalaureate degree. 100
8. (1) A recipient of a tuition waiver pursuant to 101
this section shall be ineligible for any other state -funded 102
veteran-dependent tuition grant, waiver, or scholarship, 103
including, but not limited to, grants est ablished in 104
sections 173.234 and 173.236. 105
(2) A student who has previously received any other 106
state-funded veteran-dependent tuition grant, waiver, or 107
scholarship, including, but not limited to, grants 108
established in sections 173.234 and 173.236, shall not be 109
eligible to receive a tuition waiver pursuant to this 110
section. 111 SB 716 5
(3) A student shall not concurrently receive a tuition 112
waiver pursuant to this section and any other state -funded 113
veteran-dependent tuition grant, waiver, or scholarship , 114
including, but not limited to, grants established in 115
sections 173.234 and 173.236, but such student may elect to 116
use the program that provides the greatest financial benefit. 117
9. A recipient of a tuition waiver pursuant to this 118
section may transfer from one institution to another without 119
losing such recipient's entitlement to such tuition waiver. 120
10. If a recipient of a tuition waiver pursuant to 121
this section is granted financial assistance under any other 122
student aid program, whether pu blic or private, the full 123
amount of such financial assistance shall be reported to the 124
Missouri veterans commission by the institution and the 125
recipient. 126
11. The Missouri veterans commission shall promulgate 127
all necessary rules for the implementa tion of the provisions 128
of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that 129
term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under 130
the authority delegated in this section shall become 131
effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of 132
the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 133
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 134
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 135
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 136
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 137
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 138
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 139
2025, shall be invalid and void. 140