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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1048
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR FITZWATER.
4501S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to college tuition for
dependents of certain veterans.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 173.237, to read as 2
follows:3
173.237. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Missouri Disabled Veterans' Dependents Tuition 2
Waiver". 3
2. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 4
(1) "Board", the coordinating board for higher 5
education; 6
(2) "Institution", any approved public institution, as 7
defined in subdivision (3) of subsection 1 of section 8
173.1102; 9
(3) "Tuition", any tuition or incidental fee, or both, 10
charged by an institution for attendance at the institution 11
by a student as a resident of this state, but not to exceed 12
the amount of tuition charged to a Missouri resident at the 13
University of Missouri-Columbia for attendance; 14
(4) "Tuition waiver" or "waiver", a tuition waiver 15
granted pursuant to the provisions of this section. 16
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3. A dependent of a veteran shall be eligible for a 17
waiver of all tuition remaining due to an institution after 18
subtracting awarded federal financial aid grants and state 19
scholarships and grants if the dependent meets the following 20
requirements: 21
(1) The dependent is a resident of this state who 22
meets the institution's requirements for establishing 23
Missouri residency for the purpose of paying in-state 24
tuition; 25
(2) The dependent has a parent, stepparent, or spouse 26
who is or was a member of the armed forces of the United 27
States who: 28
(a) Died while on active duty; 29
(b) Died of a service-connected disability; 30
(c) Died subsequent to discharge from the armed forces 31
as a result of injury or illness sustained while serving as 32
a member of the armed forces, whether or not the injury or 33
illness resulted in total disability; 34
(d) Is rated as permanently and totally disabled as a 35
result of military service as certified by the United States 36
Department of Veterans Affairs, excluding temporary total 37
disability ratings or other temporary disability ratings 38
given for conditions expected to improve, but including 39
ratings for total disability based on individual 40
unemployability if the unemployability is permanent; or 41
(e) Is classified as missing in action or as a 42
prisoner of war during armed hostilities while serving as a 43
member of the armed forces; and 44
(3) If the dependent is a child or stepchild of a 45
veteran described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, 46
such dependent shall be under twenty-six years of age, 47
unless the dependent serves on active duty with the armed 48
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forces of the United States after such dependent's 49
eighteenth birthday but before such dependent's twenty-sixth 50
birthday, in which case the eligibility period shall end 51
five years after the date of the dependent's first discharge 52
or release from duty from the armed forces, but in no event 53
shall such eligibility period be extended beyond the 54
dependent's thirty-first birthday. 55
4. An application for a tuition waiver shall be 56
submitted on a form to be prescribed by the executive 57
director of the Missouri veterans commission. The executive 58
director shall ensure that the application process is 59
accessible, transparent, and efficiently administered. 60
5. The executive director of the Missouri veterans 61
commission or the executive director's designee shall: 62
(1) Establish application procedures by prescribing 63
and providing all necessary forms, setting application 64
deadlines, and determining required documentation for 65
dependents of disabled veterans to apply for the tuition 66
waiver; 67
(2) Review and determine applicant eligibility, verify 68
documentation, and certify approved applicants. Upon 69
certification, the executive director shall notify the 70
applicant and the institution in which the applicant desires 71
to enroll. The executive director's decision shall be final 72
and binding, absent fraud or misrepresentation; 73
(3) Promulgate necessary rules and regulations to 74
ensure effective administration of this section, including 75
procedures for eligibility verification, fraud prevention, 76
and program oversight; 77
(4) Coordinate with the board to facilitate 78
communication with institutions, ensure proper 79
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implementation of waivers, and maintain program efficiency; 80
and 81
(5) Oversee program compliance and reporting by 82
maintaining records of waiver recipients, monitoring 83
participation, and providing periodic reports to the board. 84
6. The board shall: 85
(1) Ensure consistent implementation of this section 86
across all institutions, including institutional compliance 87
and reporting; 88
(2) Develop and distribute procedures and guidelines 89
for institutions to process tuition waivers, ensuring that 90
certified applicants are enrolled without tuition charges; 91
and 92
(3) Coordinate with the Missouri veterans commission 93
to ensure seamless communication between certifying 94
authorities and institutions, preventing administrative 95
delays for eligible applicants. 96
7. The waiver shall be valid for one degree, diploma, 97
or certificate from a community college and one 98
baccalaureate degree from a state college or university. 99
Receipt of such degree, diploma, or certificate from a 100
community college shall precede receipt of such 101
baccalaureate degree. 102
8. (1) A recipient of a tuition waiver shall be 103
ineligible for any other state-funded veteran-dependent 104
tuition grant, waiver, or scholarship, including, but not 105
limited to, grants established in sections 173.234 and 106
173.236. 107
(2) A student who has previously received any other 108
state-funded veteran-dependent tuition grant, waiver, or 109
scholarship, including, but not limited to, grants 110
established in sections 173.234 and 173.236, shall not be 111
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eligible to receive a tuition waiver pursuant to this 112
section. 113
(3) A student shall not concurrently receive a tuition 114
waiver pursuant to this section and any other state-funded 115
veteran-dependent tuition grant, waiver, or scholarship, 116
including, but not limited to, grants established in 117
sections 173.234 and 173.236, but such student may elect to 118
use the program that provides the greatest financial benefit. 119
9. A recipient of a tuition waiver may transfer from 120
one institution to another without losing such recipient's 121
entitlement to such tuition waiver. 122
10. If a recipient of a tuition waiver is granted 123
financial assistance under any other student aid program, 124
whether public or private, the full amount of such financial 125
assistance shall be reported to the Missouri veterans 126
commission by the institution and the recipient. 127
11. The Missouri veterans commission shall promulgate 128
all necessary rules for the implementation of the provisions 129
of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that 130
term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under 131
the authority delegated in this section shall become 132
effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of 133
the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 134
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 135
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 136
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 137
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 138
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 139
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 140
2026, shall be invalid and void. 141
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