Senate Bill No. 532
(By Senator Deem and Boley)
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[Introduced February 17, 2000; referred to the Committee
on Military; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL 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 for
the payment of tuition and fees to members of the national
guard who attend schools in this state approved for veterans
administration benefits.
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.
§15-1B-21. Tuition and fees for guard members at institutions of
higher education.
Any member of the national guard who is enrolled in a course
of undergraduate study at and is attending any accredited college,
university, business, or trade school or school approved for
veterans administration benefits located in West Virginia, shall
may be entitled to payment of tuitions and fees at such college,
university, business, or trade school or school approved for
veterans administration benefits 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 such college, university, business, or trade school or
school approved for veterans administration benefits: Provided,
however, That such payment shall be contingent upon appropriations
being made by the Legislature for this express purpose.
The amount of such payment for members attending a
state-supported school shall be determined by the adjutant general,
and shall not exceed the actual amount of tuition and fees at such
school. The amount of such payment for members attending a private
school shall be determined by the adjutant general, but in no event
shall exceed the highest amounts payable at any state-supported
school.
The adjutant general is charged with the administration of
tuition and fee payments under this section and shall promulgate legislative rules and regulations for the same.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the payment
of tuition and fees to national guard members who are enrolled in
schools located in this state that are approved for Veterans
Administration benefits.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.