THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY STACK, FONTANA, SOLOBAY, BREWSTER, ERICKSON, WAUGH, ORIE, COSTA, PIPPY, BOSCOLA, RAFFERTY, LEACH, KASUNIC, D. WHITE, WARD, BAKER, TARTAGLIONE AND FARNESE, MARCH 7, 2011

REFERRED TO VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 7, 2011  

AN ACT

Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in military leave of absence, further

providing for educational leave of absence.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 7313 of Title 51 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 7313.  Educational leave of absence.

(a)  General rule.--Whenever any member of the Pennsylvania

National Guard or other reserve component of the armed forces of

the United States shall be called or ordered to active duty,

other than active duty for training, including, in the case of

members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, active State duty,

the educational institution in which the member is enrolled

shall grant the member a military leave of absence from [their] 

the member's education. Persons on military leave of absence

from their educational institution shall be entitled, upon

release from military duty, to be restored to the educational

status they had attained prior to their being ordered to

military duty without loss of academic credits earned,

scholarships or grants awarded or tuition and other fees paid

prior to the commencement of the military duty. 

(b)  Change in degree requirements.--If the requirements to

obtain a degree change while a member is on active duty with the

Pennsylvania National Guard or the reserve components of the

armed forces of the United States, the member shall have the

right to pursue the member's academic degree under the new

requirements or the requirements in place prior to the member's

call or order to active duty, other than active duty for

training, including, in the case of a member of the Pennsylvania

National Guard, active State duty.

(c)  Notice of rights.--Upon the return of a member of the

Pennsylvania National Guard or the reserve components of the

armed forces of the United States from active duty to an

educational institution, the educational institution shall

advise the member in writing or through electronic mail of the

member's rights under this section.

(d)  Refunds or credits of tuition and fees paid.--It shall

be the duty of the educational institution to refund tuition or

fees paid or to credit the tuition and fees to the next semester

or term after the termination of the educational military leave

of absence at the option of the student.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.