AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to higher education.
Summary
SB0295 expands Tennessee’s higher-education tuition waiver program for certain military families. Under the bill, a dependent child under age 23, or the spouse, of a veteran who served honorably during a qualifying period of armed conflict and who has a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs determination of a 100% permanent total service-connected disability would be entitled to a waiver of tuition, maintenance fees, student activity fees, and required registration or matriculation fees at state-owned, state-operated, and state-maintained institutions of higher education. The bill also requires admission without cost for eligible dependents and spouses, and it specifies the documentation needed to prove eligibility.
The measure further clarifies residency and timing rules. The disabled veteran must be a Tennessee citizen when the dependent child or spouse applies for benefits, and a spouse’s eligibility ends 10 years after the disability determination or upon dissolution of the marriage, whichever occurs first. The bill delays implementation until the next registration or enrollment period for the next complete term after July 1, 2025, while also making conforming changes to the existing statute governing educational assistance for veterans’ dependents and spouses.
Impact
SB0295 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-102, to broaden and clarify eligibility for state higher-education fee waivers tied to military service-connected disability. It affects state institutions of higher education by requiring them to provide tuition and fee waivers and admission without cost to qualifying dependent children and spouses of veterans with a 100% permanent total disability rating from the VA, subject to the bill’s age, citizenship, marriage, and timing requirements. The bill also updates statutory language to align termination rules and effective dates with the new benefit structure.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented debate or roll-call sentiment to assess. Based on the bill’s text, the measure appears supportive of veterans and military families by expanding educational benefits, and its structure suggests a generally favorable policy intent rather than a controversial one. However, without committee discussion or voting history, the level of support or opposition cannot be determined from the provided materials.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials because there are no committee transcripts or votes. Potential issues that could arise from the text itself include the scope of eligibility for spouses and dependent children, the requirement that the veteran be a Tennessee citizen at the time of application, the 10-year limit on spousal eligibility, and the delayed implementation date. Any disagreement would likely center on the fiscal impact to state institutions or the precise boundaries of who qualifies for the waiver.
Payment rates established for certain substance use disorder treatment services, and vendor eligibility recodified for payments from the behavioral health fund.
Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-eligible Residents Now Act or the COVER Now Act This bill establishes a demonstration program to allow local governments to provide health benefits to the Medicaid expansion population in states that have not expanded Medicaid. Under the program, local governments may provide coverage for individuals who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (i.e., the Medicaid expansion population) for a maximum of 10 years, or until their respective states expand Medicaid. The bill provides a 100% federal matching rate for the first three years of program participation. The bill prohibits states from taking certain actions against participating localities, such as withholding funding, increasing taxes, or restricting provider participation. States that violate these requirements are subject to certain funding penalties.