Virginia lawmakers on Thursday quickly and unanimously passed a full repeal of changes to a popular military family tuition waiver program, concluding a chaotic and sometimes-heated battle in the General Assembly.
The legislation fully repeals all changes made to the military tuition program in the budget document, and adds $90 million from the revenue surplus to the program for the two-year budget period.
Now, the program will get $65 million each year during the next two years.
In the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Chair Louise Lucas, D- Portsmouth, said the bill balances out support for military families while avoiding financially burdening other students.
“As I have said before, making higher education affordable for all students is a priority that should be shared by everyone,” Lucas said.
Lucas and Del. Luke Torian, D- Dumfries, announced a plan to introduce and vote on identical repeal bills on July 2. Both legislative chambers passed the identical bills, avoiding a conference committee.
Additionally, several groups are studying the program. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission is studying the program’s viability and will share the report with the General Assembly by Sept. 1. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has also convened a task force on the issue, and state Senators formed a select workgroup.
Previously, the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program provided tuition waivers and an…
