Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-5544
AN ACT CONCERNING FEE WAIVERS FOR VETERANS ATTENDING PUBLIC
Title: INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Vote Date: 3/22/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable
PH Date: 3/4/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Representative Napoli, 73rd Assembly District
REASONS FOR BILL:
College fees are so high they can be an impediment for some of our Veterans who want to
attend college. This bill will help them by giving veterans who served in a time of war student
fee waivers at public higher education institutions
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Sean Bradbury, Senior Director of Government Relations and External Affairs Connecticut
State Colleges & Universities submitted written testimony. Mr. Bradbury shared that In
FY2020 CSCU awarded over 1,300 tuition waivers to student veterans across the system
(358 at the CSUs and 946 at the community colleges), which amounted to over $1.7 million in
waived tuition costs not covered by federal aid or employer reimbursement. He went on to
say that CSCU encourages the Legislature to appropriate the funding for this fee waiver
rather than place the burden to pay for it on our students and their families who will not
qualify for these waivers especially during a time like this when many of our students and
their families have faced pandemic related health issues, job losses, and unprecedented
economic insecurity and uncertainty.
The request for clarification is for a clearer definition of which fees would be covered by this
waiver. Expanding coverage to housing and meal plan fees could substantially expand the
cost of this waiver.
Alyssa Kelleher, Director of the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs, University of
Connecticut submitted written testimony expressing her support and also her concerns about
the bill. She stated The intent of this legislation is laudable, decreasing the financial burden
placed on our veteran students to pursue higher education. However, it must be kept in mind
that as the Statute is currently written, The University of Connecticut is not reimbursed for
Veteran or National Guard waivers.
Ms. Kelleher had the following questions:
- Given the wide variety of types of fees amongst our campuses, and amongst the different
universities and colleges, some additional clarification on which fees should be waived would
be warranted.
Would individual student specific fees such as parking and health services be covered?
Would the fee waiver include all fees or just general expense fees?
Would the fee waiver include the cost of room and board?
-Should there be a requirement for the veteran student to pay back fees waived by the
University if the student does not complete the semester or withdraws? This is a practice
used by several states including Florida.
- Would this waiver apply only to students using the State Waiver, or also to students using
the National Guard Waiver?
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Joseph P. Nolan, Gold Star father and Marine Corps Veteran of the Vietnam War submitted
written testimony in support of this bill stating that all CT war veterans should be eligible for
fee waivers regardless of the conflict or hostile action they participated in. He continued that
it could potentially increase the number of veterans attending state colleges and boost
dwindling college enrollments.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
None stated.
Reported by: Jeanie Phillips, Clerk Date: March 24, 2021
Page 2 of 2 HB-5544


Statutes affected:
Committee Bill:
HED Joint Favorable:
File No. 296: