HB 26-1386

HB 26-1386 changes how Colorado pays for tuition waivers for members of the National Guard. Instead of the state covering all costs directly, colleges and universities will now cover any remaining tuition after scholarships or financial aid are applied, and then the state will reimburse these institutions for half of what they pay. This means that both the state and the schools share the cost of supporting National Guard members who want to go to college in Colorado. The bill has been signed into law, so it is now official policy.

Official Summary

Joint Budget Committee. In current law, a person who is a member of the Colorado National Guard who is accepted for enrollment at a designated institution of higher education (member) has all their tuition costs waived. All tuition waiver costs are currently funded by the state from money in the Colorado National Guard tuition fund.     The bill changes the funding mechanism of the Colorado National Guard tuition waiver program by requiring each designated institution of higher education to waive the remaining balance of a member's tuition cost in excess of the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance received. The bill requires the department of military and veterans affairs to reimburse each institution for 50% of the cost of tuition waived by the institution and requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the Colorado National Guard tuition fund to cover the reimbursement.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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