An Act to amend 36.27 (2) (b) 4., 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. a., 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. b., 36.27 (3n) (bd), 36.27 (3p) (a) 1r. (intro.), 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. a., 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. b., 38.24 (7) (bd), 38.24 (8) (a) 1r. (intro.) and 39.49 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes; Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)
AB659 revises Wisconsin’s tuition remission, fee remission, and grant eligibility rules for certain veterans and their dependents attending the University of Wisconsin System, Wisconsin technical colleges, or private nonprofit higher education institutions. The bill also updates the UW System nonresident tuition exemption for veterans. Its core change is to shorten several residency requirements from five consecutive years to three consecutive years in multiple veteran-education benefit provisions.
Under the bill, veterans who were Wisconsin residents when they entered service, or who have lived in Wisconsin for at least three consecutive years in the relevant period, may qualify for tuition and fee benefits under the affected statutes. The bill similarly reduces the residency period for certain surviving spouses, children, and dependents of deceased or disabled veterans when they seek remission or grants. It also updates related definitions of “veteran” and applies the new rules beginning with the first semester or session after the act takes effect.
AB659 amends statutes in chapters 36, 38, and 39 governing higher education benefits, changing eligibility standards for veteran-related tuition exemptions, academic fee remission, segregated fee remission, and grants. The practical effect is to broaden access to these benefits by lowering the in-state residency threshold from five years to three years for several categories of veterans and dependents, which may increase the number of eligible students and the fiscal exposure of the affected institutions and state programs.
The bill appears generally supportive of veterans and their families, with the legislative history showing strong final passage in the Assembly and no recorded committee testimony in the provided materials. The large margin on third reading suggests broad bipartisan acceptance of the policy goal of expanding educational benefits for veterans, although the Senate did reject one amendment, indicating some disagreement over the bill’s details or scope.
The main point of contention is the residency requirement: the bill reduces it from five years to three years, and opponents or amendment supporters may have viewed that as too expansive or insufficiently targeted. The Senate’s rejection of Senate Amendment 1 suggests there was at least some effort to alter the bill’s terms, though the available record does not specify the amendment’s substance. The bill also distinguishes between veterans who were Wisconsin residents at entry into service and those who later established residency, which may have been another area of policy debate.