Senate Bill No. 236 (SB236 File No. 158) seeks to amend current statutes to expand tuition fee waivers at public institutions of higher education for certain veterans and members of the Connecticut National Guard. The bill, effective July 1, 2024, includes provisions to waive tuition and extension fees at regional community-technical colleges for veterans who served in time of war and are domiciled in the state, as well as for active members of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard enrolled in undergraduate programs. It also addresses the waiver of fees for veterans who have applied for federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, with the board of trustees waiving fees in excess of the veteran tuition benefit. The bill requires the board of trustees to set aside funds for financial assistance for students with substantial financial need and mandates annual state appropriations to reimburse the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund for waived fees exceeding five percent of tuition and extension fee revenue.

The bill also includes changes to the University of Connecticut's tuition waiver system, extending the waiver to include extension fees for eligible veterans and National Guard members. It outlines the financial implications, such as the requirement for the University of Connecticut Operating Fund to be reimbursed for the amount by which tuition and extension fee waivers exceed two and one-half percent of the respective revenue. The board of trustees is responsible for requesting this appropriation based on an estimate of revenue loss. The bill amends sections 10a-77(d) to (g), 10a-99(d) to (g), and 10a-105(e) to (h) of the general statutes and has received a Joint Favorable report from the Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee. A related bill, SB 348, proposes to remove the requirement of service in time of war for veterans' tuition waivers eligibility.