2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 SENATE BILL 238
April 14, 2023 - Introduced by Senators COWLES and TOMCZYK, cosponsored by
Representatives MAXEY, BEHNKE, BINSFELD, CABRERA, DONOVAN, EDMING,
GREEN, MYERS, MICHALSKI, MURPHY, MURSAU, NEDWESKI, NOVAK, ORTIZ-VELEZ,
SCHMIDT, SHANKLAND, SINICKI and WICHGERS. Referred to Committee on
Universities and Revenue.
1 AN ACT to amend 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.), 36.27 (3n) (am), 36.27 (3n) (bd), 38.24
2 (7) (a) 1m. (intro.), 38.24 (7) (am) and 38.24 (7) (bd); and to create 36.27 (3n)
3 (a) 1m. c. and 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes; relating to: tuition and fee
4 remission for eligible veterans' spouses and children enrolled in the University
5 of Wisconsin System or a technical college.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill expands the definition of “eligible veteran” for the purposes of a tuition
and fee remission program for eligible veterans' spouses and children.
Current law provides for full remission of tuition and fees at technical colleges
and UW System institutions for up to eight semesters or 128 credits for the spouse
and 17-to-25-year-old children of eligible veterans. Under current law, an “eligible
veteran” is a military service member who suffered service-connected death or
disability and who either was a resident of this state when he or she entered military
service or satisfies one of the following: 1) if the veteran, while a resident of this state,
died on active duty, died as the result of a service-connected disability, or died in the
line of duty while on active or inactive duty for training purposes, the veteran resided
in this state for at least five consecutive years while an adult; or 2) if the veteran
received at least a 30 percent service-connected disability rating, the veteran
resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately before the
veteran's spouse or child registers at a technical college or a UW System institution.
In addition, if a veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered
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SENATE BILL 238
military service, the veteran's spouse or child is eligible for tuition and fee remission
only if the spouse or child has resided in this state for at least five consecutive years
immediately before the spouse's or child's enrollment in a technical college or UW
System institution.
This bill expands the tuition and fee program's definition of “eligible veteran”
to include a person who has served on active duty for 20 or more years and who is on
active duty in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or
session for which the person's spouse or child registers at a technical college or UW
System institution. In addition, the person must either have been a resident of this
state at the time of the person's entry into service or have resided in this state for at
least five consecutive years immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or
session for which the person's spouse or child registers at an institution. If the person
was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service, the person's
spouse or child is eligible for tuition and fee remission only if the spouse or child has
resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately preceding the
spouse's or child's enrollment in a technical college or UW System institution.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
2 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. (intro.) “Eligible veteran" means a person verified by the
3 department of veterans affairs to be either any of the following:
4 SECTION 2. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes is created to read:
5 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. c. A person who has served on active duty for at least 20 years
6 in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces;
7 who is on active duty in service in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as
8 part of the U.S. armed forces in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any
9 semester or session for which the person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2.,
10 or 3. registers at an institution; and who was a resident of this state at the time of
11 the person's entry into service or resided in this state for at least 5 consecutive years
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SENATE BILL 238 SECTION 2
1 immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or session for which the
2 person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. registers at an institution.
3 SECTION 3. 36.27 (3n) (am) of the statutes is amended to read:
4 36.27 (3n) (am) In determining a person's residency at the time of entry into
5 service under par. (a) 1m. a., or b. or c., the state from which the person entered
6 service is irrelevant.
7 SECTION 4. 36.27 (3n) (bd) of the statutes is amended to read:
8 36.27 (3n) (bd) If an eligible veteran was not a resident of this state at the time
9 of entry into service described in par. (a) 1m. a. or c., the board may grant a remission
10 of academic fees and segregated fees under this subsection only if the eligible
11 veteran's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. has resided in this state for
12 at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the spouse's or child's enrollment
13 in an institution.
14 SECTION 5. 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
15 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. (intro.) “Eligible veteran" means a person verified by the
16 department of veterans affairs to be either any of the following:
17 SECTION 6. 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. of the statutes is created to read:
18 38.24 (7) (a) 1m. c. A person who has served on active duty for at least 20 years
19 in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces;
20 who is on active duty in service in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as
21 part of the U.S. armed forces in the time immediately preceding the beginning of any
22 semester or session for which the person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2.,
23 or 3. registers at a technical college; and who was a resident of this state at the time
24 of the person's entry into service or resided in this state for at least 5 consecutive
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SENATE BILL 238 SECTION 6
1 years immediately preceding the beginning of any semester or session for which the
2 person's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. registers at a technical college.
3 SECTION 7. 38.24 (7) (am) of the statutes is amended to read:
4 38.24 (7) (am) In determining a person's residency at the time of entry into
5 service under par. (a) 1m. a., or b., or c., the state from which the person entered
6 service is irrelevant.
7 SECTION 8. 38.24 (7) (bd) of the statutes is amended to read:
8 38.24 (7) (bd) If an eligible veteran was not a resident of this state at the time
9 of entry into service described in par. (a) 1m. a. or c., the district board may grant a
10 remission of academic fees and segregated fees under this subsection only if the
11 eligible veteran's spouse or child described in par. (b) 1., 2., or 3. has resided in this
12 state for at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the spouse's or child's
13 enrollment in a technical college.
14 SECTION 9.0Initial applicability.
15 (1) This act first applies to the first semester or session beginning after the
16 effective date of this subsection.
17 (END)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 36.27(3n)(a)1m.(intro.), 36.27, 36.27(3n)(am), 36.27(3n)(bd), 38.24(7)(a)1m.(intro.), 38.24, 38.24(7)(am), 38.24(7)(bd)