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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 239
April 28, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives M AXEY, BEHNKE, BINSFELD,
CABRERA, DONOVAN, EDMING, GREEN, MYERS, MICHALSKI, MURPHY, MURSAU,
NEDWESKI, NOVAK, ORTIZ-VELEZ, SCHMIDT, SHANKLAND, SINICKI and WICHGERS,
cosponsored by Senators COWLES and TOMCZYK. Referred to Committee on
Colleges and Universities.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to amend 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.), 36.27 (3n) (am), 36.27 (3n) (bd), 38.24
(7) (a) 1m. (intro.), 38.24 (7) (am) and 38.24 (7) (bd); and to create 36.27 (3n)
(a) 1m. c. and 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes; relating to: tuition and fee
remission for eligible veterans' spouses and children enrolled in the University
of Wisconsin System or a technical college.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill expands the definition of “eligible veteran” for the purposes of a tuition
and fee remission program for eligible veterans' spouses and children.
Current law provides for full remission of tuition and fees at technical colleges
and UW System institutions for up to eight semesters or 128 credits for the spouse
and 17-to-25-year-old children of eligible veterans. Under current law, an “eligible
veteran” is a military service member who suffered service-connected death or
disability and who either was a resident of this state when he or she entered military
service or satisfies one of the following: 1) if the veteran, while a resident of this state,
died on active duty, died as the result of a service-connected disability, or died in the
line of duty while on active or inactive duty for training purposes, the veteran resided
in this state for at least five consecutive years while an adult; or 2) if the veteran
received at least a 30 percent service-connected disability rating, the veteran
resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately before the
veteran's spouse or child registers at a technical college or a UW System institution.
In addition, if a veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered
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ASSEMBLY BILL 239
military service, the veteran's spouse or child is eligible for tuition and fee remission
only if the spouse or child has resided in this state for at least five consecutive years
immediately before the spouse's or child's enrollment in a technical college or UW
System institution.
This bill expands the tuition and fee program's definition of “eligible veteran”
to include a person who has served on active duty for 20 or more years and who is on
active duty in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or
session for which the person's spouse or child registers at a technical college or UW
System institution. In addition, the person must either have been a resident of this
state at the time of the person's entry into service or have resided in this state for at
least five consecutive years immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or
session for which the person's spouse or child registers at an institution. If the person
was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service, the person's
spouse or child is eligible for tuition and fee remission only if the spouse or child has
resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately preceding the
spouse's or child's enrollment in a technical college or UW System institution.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.) “Eligible veteran" means a person verified by the
department of veterans affairs to be either any of the following:
SECTION 2. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes is created to read:
36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. c. A person who has served on active duty for at least 20 years
in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces;
who is on active duty in service in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as
part of the U.S. armed forces in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any
semester or session for which the person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2.,
or 3. registers at an institution; and who was a resident of this state at the time of
the person's entry into service or resided in this state for at least 5 consecutive years
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ASSEMBLY BILL 239
immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or session for which the
person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. registers at an institution.
SECTION 3. 36.27 (3n) (am) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.27 (3n) (am) In determining a person's residency at the time of entry into
service under par. (a) 1m. a., or b. or c., the state from which the person entered
service is irrelevant.
SECTION 4. 36.27 (3n) (bd) of the statutes is amended to read:
36.27 (3n) (bd) If an eligible veteran was not a resident of this state at the time
of entry into service described in par. (a) 1m. a. or c., the board may grant a remission
of academic fees and segregated fees under this subsection only if the eligible
veteran's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. has resided in this state for
at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the spouse's or child's enrollment
in an institution.
SECTION 5. 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
38.24 (7) (a) 1m. (intro.) “Eligible veteran" means a person verified by the
department of veterans affairs to be either any of the following:
SECTION 6. 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes is created to read:
38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. A person who has served on active duty for at least 20 years
in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces;
who is on active duty in service in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as
part of the U.S. armed forces in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any
semester or session for which the person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2.,
or 3. registers at a technical college; and who was a resident of this state at the time
of the person's entry into service or resided in this state for at least 5 consecutive
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SECTION 6 ASSEMBLY BILL 239
years immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or session for which the
person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. registers at a technical college.
SECTION 7. 38.24 (7) (am) of the statutes is amended to read:
38.24 (7) (am) In determining a person's residency at the time of entry into
service under par. (a) 1m. a., or b., or c., the state from which the person entered
service is irrelevant.
SECTION 8. 38.24 (7) (bd) of the statutes is amended to read:
38.24 (7) (bd) If an eligible veteran was not a resident of this state at the time
of entry into service described in par. (a) 1m. a. or c., the district board may grant a
remission of academic fees and segregated fees under this subsection only if the
eligible veteran's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. has resided in this
state for at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the spouse's or child's
enrollment in a technical college.
SECTION 9.0Initial applicability.
(1) This act first applies to the first semester or session beginning after the
effective date of this subsection.
(END)
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