Seeking to ease the financial burden for California college students who serve in the California National Guard or State Military Reserve, the California Assembly will vote on a bill that would give these students a 75 percent fee reduction as well as make it easier for students to withdraw from and return to school when called to active duty.
Assembly Bill AB-547 was proposed by Assemblywoman Carol Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge, earlier this month and would apply to fees at the University of California, California State University and community college systems.
Catherine Hazelton, a spokeswoman for Liu, said the bill was brought about in response to the increasing demands and level of commitment required of National Guard members and reservists, half of whom in California are on active duty.
“”Now it’s almost impossible to join the National Guard and only get away with doing the weekends and two weeks a year,”” she said. “”It’s a much harder job and more serious job now with the current state of affairs.””
Fifty-one of the 54 states and territories of the United States provide some form of educational incentive to National Guard members and reservists. Alabama provides up to $1,000 for educational costs while Connecticut and New York provide 100 percent of the costs of attending an in-state public university or college. Some states also provide money to attend private institutions. The G.I. Bill, which provides money for college, provides up to $900 per month to those in the Armed Forces on active duty and $272 per month to those in the National Guard or Reserves.
In addition to the 75 percent reduction in tuition costs, the bill would provide for students called to active duty during the course of their academic studies to be reimbursed for academic and dormitory fees, to be allowed to take an academic leave from their classes and to be given priority for class registration and housing upon their return.
The state legislature will provide financial support for the required fees while a servicemember is on active duty. Hazelton said that the program would cost about $4 million per year to operate.
James Lubey, executive director of the National Guard Association of California, said that, with the increasing number and length of deployments combined with the financial burden of attending college, National Guard members in California are given little help.
“”A lot of times what happens when someone gets deployed — and even if it’s for a fire or flood or something — you’re in school and you’ve got to take off for two weeks,”” said Lubey, adding that if deployment occurs during finals, the soldier is then usually forced to take an incomplete or drop the class. “”[The bill] will definitely help.””
The structure of the National Guard provides promotions for enlisted members based on the level of education attained. Supporters of the bill are also hoping the incentive will improve retention in the California National Guard which has remained at 70 percent since 1997. The bill will not apply to officers, who must already hold a bachelor’s degree, and will also not cover costs for graduate study.
The fee reduction comes amidst fee increases at the University of California for the general student body. In his May revision of the state budget, Governor Gray Davis allocated funding to allow the program to operate. The University of California will receive about $1.5 million from the state to make up for the 75 percent fee reduction.
A spokesman for the University of California said that because the governor’s budget revision will fund the program’s implementation — meaning a minimal cost to the university, which had been a major concern — the university has no official position on the bill.
The bill, if approved, will go into effect starting with the 2004-05 school year.
