Government Relations
UW System Position on Bills Introduced in the Legislature During the 2005-2006 Session
Pending Legislation
AB 318
Half-price tuition for eligible veterans
Full Description
Read testimony by
Margaret Lewis
Read letter from UW
System President Kevin Reilly
(Loeffelholz) Requires the UW System and each technical college district board to grant to any Wisconsin veterans a remission equal to 50 percent of the costs of tuition and fees at any UW institution or technical college for 128 credits or eight semesters, whichever is longer.
Referred to: Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs.
UW System Position
AMEND: UW System students should not bear the burden of new unfunded state mandates.
It has been a long standing tradition of American society that all citizens should bear the financial obligation of veterans benefits because all citizens gain by their sacrifice.
The bill should include a GPR appropriation to the UW System to replace the $7.6 million in lost tuition revenue. All the citizens of the state should support the dependents of veterans. If the bill does not have a GPR appropriation, the students of the UW System will solely shoulder the costs of educating the eligible veterans.