84R32128 BPG-D
By: Miller of Fort Bend H.R. No. 3239
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Since World War I, Texas has supported veterans by
providing educational benefits to ease the transition to civilian
life; and
WHEREAS, Under the Hazlewood Act of 1919, the state exempts
veterans from paying tuition and mandatory fees at public
institutions of higher education; the legislature in 2009 began
permitting veterans to give their children up to 150 semester hours
of their own unused Hazlewood benefits, and today, two-thirds of
all Hazlewood benefits are paid to the children of veterans; and
WHEREAS, Since 2009, the cost of Hazlewood benefits to
universities and community colleges has skyrocketed, rising from
nearly $25 million to more than $169 million in 2014; the program,
as currently configured, is projected to cost more than $286
million by 2017; moreover, a recent federal court ruling on the
program's residency requirements, now under appeal, potentially
opens the program to veterans and their children from across the
entire country; the Texas Veterans Commission estimates that the
cost could exceed $2 billion under that scenario; and
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is committed to supporting the
men and women who have served our country in the United States
military, but the rising costs of Hazlewood Act benefits are a
source of deep concern; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby request the speaker of the house to create a
select interim committee to examine the Hazlewood Act program; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee examine the evolution of the
program from its inception, as well as the associated current costs
for both veterans and their children to institutions of higher
education; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee be made up of 11 members of the
house and that it submit a full report, including findings and
recommendations for legislation, to the House of Representatives of
the 85th Texas Legislature when it convenes in January 2017.