ENROLLED

Senate Bill No. 359

(By Senators Bailey, Unger, Dawson, Minard, Hunter, Love, Kessler, Sprouse and Wooton)

____________

[Passed March 11, 2000; in effect ninety days from passage.]

____________


AN ACT to amend and reenact section twenty-one, article one-b, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to providing payment for tuition and fees to members of the national guard who attend accredited colleges, universities, business or trade schools or aviation schools in this state while serving in the national guard; and providing that national guard members enrolled in a course of postgraduate study, attending an accredited school located in West Virginia and receiving payments under the army continuing education system may be entitled to payment for tuition and fees while serving in the national guard.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twenty-one, article one-b, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1B. NATIONAL GUARD.
ยง15-1B-21. Tuition and fees for guard members at institutions of higher education.

(a) Any member of the national guard who is enrolled in a course of undergraduate study and is attending any accredited college, university, business or trade school located in West Virginia or is attending any aviation school located in West Virginia for the purpose of taking college-credit courses, may be entitled to payment of tuitions and fees at that college, university, business or trade school or aviation school during the period of his or her service in the national guard: Provided, That the adjutant general may prescribe criteria of eligibility for payment of tuition and fees at the college, university, business or trade school or aviation school: Provided, however, That such payment is contingent upon appropriations being made by the Legislature for this express purpose.
(b) The amount of the payment for members attending a state-supported school shall be determined by the adjutant general and may not exceed the actual amount of tuition and fees at the school. The amount of such payment for members attending a private school shall be determined by the adjutant general, but in no event may exceed the highest amounts payable at any state-supported school.
(c) Any member of the national guard who is enrolled in a course of postgraduate study and is attending any accredited college or university located in West Virginia, and is receiving payments under the army continuing education system, may be entitled to payment of tuition and fees at that college or university during his or her period of service in the national guard: Provided, That the sum of payments received under this subsection and the army continuing education system may not exceed the actual amount of tuition and fees at the school and in no event may exceed the highest amounts payable at any state-supported school. Such payments are contingent upon appropriations being made by the Legislature for this express purpose.
(d) The adjutant general shall administer the tuition and fee payments authorized under this section and shall propose policies to implement the provisions of this section.