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An Act Concerning Postsecondary Tuition Waivers for Children of Veterans
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 37-B MRSA §505, sub-§2, ¶F, as amended by PL 2007, c. 167, §8, is further amended to read:
 
F. A child of a veteran who is attending state-supported postsecondary vocational schools or institutions of collegiate grade must be admitted free of tuition including mandatory fees and lab fees for associate's and bachelor's programs. The tuition waiver provided under this paragraph may be reduced by an amount necessary to ensure that the value of this waiver, combined with all other grants and benefits received by the student, does not exceed the total cost of education. Room and board may not be waived. A child of a veteran has 6 academic years from the date of first entrance to complete 8 semesters120 credit hours. The director may waive the limit of 6 consecutive academic years when the recipient's education has been interrupted by severe medical disability or, illness, learning disability or other hardship making continued attendance impossible. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 or "C" grade point average to continue receiving educational benefits. If a student's grade point average falls below 2.0 or a "C," then the student has one semester to bring the grade point average up to at least 2.0 or a "C." If after that semester the student's grade point average is below 2.0 or a "C," the student loses educational benefits under this paragraph until the student achieves a grade point average of at least 2.0 or a "C."
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the laws governing postsecondary tuition waivers for the children of certain veterans to provide that a child of a veteran has 6 academic years from the date of first entrance to complete 120 credit hours. Current law provides that a child of a veteran has 6 academic years from the date of first entrance to complete 8 semesters.
It adds a learning disability or other hardship to the circumstances under which the Director of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services may waive the limit of 6 consecutive academic years to complete the specified number of credit hours.