Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	January 7, 2013 12:57 PM
From:	Senator Lisa Baker
To:	All Senate members
Subject:	Baker/Extending Tuition Waivers to Children and Spouses of Fallen Soldiers

Please join me in co-sponsoring a two-bill package that allows the children and spouse of a Pennsylvania National Guard member killed in action to qualify for the state’s tuition waiver, even if the fallen soldier was not a Pennsylvania resident at the time of his or her death. Under these two bills, the benefit will apply as long as the fallen soldier was a Pennsylvania resident at any time during his or her service in the Guard. These provisions were contained in Senate Bills 1488 and 1489 of last session, which were reported from the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee but failed to make it out of the full Senate. This legislation was prompted by a National Guardsman killed in combat in Afghanistan recently. Although he and his children were residents of Pennsylvania at one time, the soldier moved south and may not have been an official resident of the Commonwealth at the time of his death. These two bills clarify that children in such circumstances are eligible to receive the tuition waiver should they decide to pursue higher education in Pennsylvania. While this legislation affects very few students, it is a priority for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and provides a valuable benefit to those children in Pennsylvania who have suffered the loss of a parent in combat.

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Document #1

Description:	Two bills are necessary because two distinct statutes govern Pennsylvania’s tuition benefit. The first bill amends Section 3503 of Title 51 (Military Affairs).

Document #2

Description:	The second bill addresses the Police Officer, Firefighter, Correction Employee and National Guard Member Child Beneficiary Act of 1998, as amended, which governs the Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Thank you for your consideration in cosponsoring one or both bills.