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Act No. 38
Public Acts of 2025
Approved by the Governor
December 9, 2025
Filed with the Secretary of State
December 9, 2025
EFFECTIVE DATE: December 9, 2025
STATE OF MICHIGAN
103RD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
Introduced by Senator Klinefelt
ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 542
AN ACT to amend 2014 PA 259, entitled “An act to provide for tuition assistance at certain educational
institutions for Michigan National Guard members and certain other individuals; and to provide for the powers
and duties of certain state governmental officers and entities, ” by amending sections 3 and 4 (MCL 32.433 and
32.434), as amended by 2023 PA 33.
The People of the State of Michigan enact:
Sec. 3. (1) The Michigan National Guard tuition assistance program is created within the department of
military and veterans affairs.
(2) The adjutant general shall administer the tuition assistance program and prescribe forms and procedures
to effectively carry out the tuition assistance program.
(3) An eligible person may apply for tuition assistance from the tuition assistance program before enrolling in
an eligible educational institution. The adjutant general shall approve the application if the applicant is an
eligible person and if there is s ufficient money in the fund to cover the amount of tuition assistance determined
to be available under this subsection by the adjutant general in that academic year. The adjutant general shall
determine the amount of tuition assistance that may be provided under this subsection in any academic year. The
amount of tuition assistance determined by the adjutant general under this subsection applies to all eligible
persons.
(4) If an eligible person has enrolled in an eligible educational institution and has not applied for and received
tuition assistance from the tuition assistance program, the eligible person may apply for tuition assistance for
tuition paid to the eligible educational institution in that current academic year. The adjutant general shall
approve the application if the applicant is an eligible person and if there is sufficient money in the Michigan
National Guard member benefits fund created in the Michigan National Guard member benefits fund act to cover
the amount of tuition assistance determined to be available under this subsection by the adjutant general in that
academic year. The adjutant general shall determine the amount of tuition assistance that may be provided under
this subsection in any academic year. The amount of tuition assistance determined by the adjutant general under
this subsection applies to all eligible persons.
(5) The tuition assistance program applies to any course of study that is intended to culminate in vocational
or technical training, a certificate, or the eligible person ’s first associate degree, bachelor ’s degree, or master ’s
degree.
(6) The adjutant general may make a tuition assistance distribution under this section to either the eligible
person or the eligible education institution, and may determine when the distribution is made.
(7) Upon completion of a course of study, an eligible person who successfully applied for tuition assistance
under subsection (3) or (4) must provide evidence of attendance and completion of the course of study with a
minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, as applicable, in that current semester, in a manner prescribed
by the adjutant general.
(8) If an eligible person who received tuition assistance under subsection (3) or who received reimbursement
for the cost of tuition under subsection (4) did not complete the course of study for which it was granted, that
eligible person must reimburse the fund in an amount and in a manner prescribed by the adjutant general unless
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the eligible person was deployed in a state or federal status that resulted in the eligible person ’s inability to
complete the course of study. In that case, the matter must be determined by the adjutant general.
(9) The adjutant general may establish a policy that allows 1 or more of the following individuals who are
family members of an eligible person to utilize the eligible person’s tuition assistance established under this act,
in a manner prescribed by the adjutant general and consistent with the requirements of this act that are
applicable to the eligible person:
(a) A lawfully married spouse.
(b) A dependent child, stepchild, or legally adopted child who has graduated high school or obtained a high
school diploma equivalent certificate, or who has turned 18 years of age, and who must use the eligible person ’s
tuition assistance before turning 26 years of age.
Sec. 4. (1) The Michigan National Guard tuition assistance fund is created within the state treasury.
(2) The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund. The state
treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings
from the fund.
(3) The balance of money in the fund must not exceed $15,000,000.00. Any balance of money in the fund in
excess of $15,000,000.00 lapses to the general fund. Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year remains in
the fund and, except as otherwise pro vided in this subsection, does not lapse to the general fund. The
unencumbered balance remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 must be
transferred to the Michigan National Guard member benefits fund created in the Mich igan National Guard
member benefits fund act.
(4) The department of military and veterans affairs is the administrator of the fund for auditing purposes.
(5) The adjutant general shall expend money from the fund, on appropriation, to provide tuition assistance to
an eligible person, or other individual described in section 3(9), for the cost of tuition to an eligible educational
institution under section 3(3) or to reimburse an eligible person, or other individual described in secti on 3(9), for
the cost of tuition paid to an eligible educational institution under section 3(4) for a course of study completed by
the eligible person, or other individual described in section 3(9).
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless all of the following bills of the
103rd Legislature are enacted into law:
(a) Senate Bill No. 540.
(b) House Bill No. 4962.
This act is ordered to take immediate effect.
Secretary of the Senate
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Approved___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Governor