STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Extends eligibility for Military Dependents Scholarships to students enrolled in approved career and technical education programs and to dependents of certain military members who served in Operation Freedoms Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning scholarships for military dependents and amending P.L.2015, c.117.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.2015, c.117 (C.18A:71B-100) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. The board of trustees of the Military Dependents Scholarship Fund shall consist of the State Adjutant General, or a designee, the State Treasurer, or a designee, the executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, or a designee, the Secretary of Higher Education, or a designee, and nine public members appointed as follows: two by the President of the Senate, who shall not be of the same political party, two by the Speaker of the General Assembly, who shall not be of the same political party, and five by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, no more than three of whom shall be of the same political party. At least five of the public members shall be persons who were directly affected by Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Freedoms Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, or Operation New Dawn. Two of the public members shall be named by the Governor to serve as co-chairpersons of the board.
b. Each public member of the board shall serve for a term of three years and until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified; except that of the first members appointed, two shall serve for one year, three shall serve for two years and four shall serve for three years. Any vacancy in the membership of the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term.
c. Members of the board shall serve without compensation. Reasonable expenses of the board shall be paid out of the fund proceeds, subject to approval by the State Treasurer.
d. The board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
(1) determine eligibility for a scholarship from the fund;
(2) determine the amount of each scholarship award;
(3) report annually to the Governor and the Legislature on the performance of its duties in accordance with the provisions of this act;
(4) solicit and raise private funds to finance the Military Dependents Scholarship program; and
(5) receive and disburse such contributions to the fund as may be forthcoming from private and public sources.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.117, s.3)
2. Section 4 of P.L.2015, c.117 (C.18A:71B-101) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. The board of trustees is authorized to award scholarships from the fund for the costs of undergraduate study at a public or independent institution of higher education or for the costs of attending a career and technical education program approved by the board to the spouse, child, or other eligible dependent of a New Jersey resident who is killed, officially listed as "Missing in Action" by the United States Department of Defense, or totally and permanently disabled as certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a consequence of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Freedoms Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, or Operation New Dawn.
b. Scholarships from the fund may be awarded annually upon proper application by any student who qualifies under the criteria established by the authority.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.117, s.4)
3. Section 5 of P.L.2015, c.117 (C.18A:71B-102) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. A Military Dependents Scholarship shall not be awarded to an applicant unless the applicant has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant:
(1) will be or is enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program of study leading to a degree at an institution of higher education , or will be or is enrolled in a career and technical education program approved by the board of trustees of the Military Dependents Scholarship Fund; and
(2) has complied with all rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this act for the award, regulation and administration of scholarships from the fund.
b. Eligibility for a Military [Survivors] Dependents Scholarship, in the case of a spouse or other eligible dependent, shall be limited to a period of [15] 21 years from the date of death of the person, the date the person is officially listed as "Missing in Action" or the date upon which the person is certified to have been totally and permanently disabled for initial receipt of the benefits under the program. In the case of a dependent child, eligibility shall be limited to a period of eight years following graduation from high school.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.117, s.5)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill extends eligibility
for Military Dependents Scholarships
to students enrolled in approved career and technical education programs and to
dependents of certain military members who served in Operation Freedoms
Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve.
P.L.2015, c.117 established Military Dependents Scholarships for the costs of undergraduate study at a public or independent institution of higher education to the spouse, child, or other eligible dependent of a New Jersey resident who is killed, officially listed as "Missing in Action" by the United States Department of Defense, or totally and permanently disabled as certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a consequence of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. As of November 2021, no scholarships have been awarded through this law. Additionally, the Military Dependents Scholarship Fund has not yet been established, as no State appropriations or private donations have been made for such fund. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority will establish the fund when an initial appropriation or donation is received for the funds purpose.
This bill extends eligibility for Military Dependents Scholarships to students enrolled in a career and technical education program approved by the board of trustees of the Military Dependent Scholarship Fund. The bill updates the list of qualifying military engagements referenced in the law to include the most recent engagements, Operation Freedoms Sentinel and Operation Inhere