Military scholarships.

WORKING DRAFT
2009
STATE OF
WYOMING
09LSO-0440

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0192

Military scholarships.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Brechtel and Lockhart and Senator(s) Perkins

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to
defense forces and affairs; establishing a scholarship for members of the
military forces
who serve on certain United State vessels as specified;
imposing administrative duties on the
Wyoming
community college commission and
providing rulemaking authority; providing an appropriation;
and providing for
effective date
s
.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 19
‑
17
‑
101 is created to read:

CHAPTER 17
EDUCATIONAL AID FOR
MILITARY FORCES

1
9
‑
17
‑
101.

Educational aid for
military forces
.

(a)

Upon application in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, a
citizen of the United States
who has served with the military forces of the United States as specified in this
subsection
is eligible to receive a scholarship for five hundred dollars ($500.00) per
academic
year to pursue a degree or certificate
at
a
Wyoming public
post secondary

educational institution

or a private
post secondary

educational
institution licensed to operate in Wyoming under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
401 through 21
‑
2
‑
407
,

if the person
has served:

(i)

A
s a member of the
military forces
on a United States vessel which is named for the state of Wyoming or one
(1)
of the political subdivisions of the state of Wyoming
; and

(ii)

A total of
at least forty
-eight (48) months on the vessel.

(b)

No
person
shall be eligible for a scholarship under this
section
for more than four (4)
academic
years and shall not be eligible
for
more than six (6)
academic
years from the time a scholarship is first awarded under this section
. As used in this section
,
"academic year" shall
constitute
two (2) consecutive semesters or terms of full-time enrollment.

(c)

Eligible persons shall apply
for scholarships under this
section
with the
eligible
post secondary

educational
institution
of enrollment
at the time of applying for admission or prior to the beginning of the semester
for which the scholarship is to be applied at that

post secondary

e
ducational
institution. The application shall contain informa
tion
required by rule
and regulation
of the
Wyoming

community college commission
and
shall require each applicant to
:

(i)

V
erify under penalty
of false swearing under W.S. 6
‑
5
‑
303, that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony in this state or another jurisdic
tion; and

(ii)

Provide proof of service in the military forces as required under this section.

(d
)

The community college commission shall reimburse
each
post secondary

educational institution
for the costs of
each scholarship
awarded
under this section.
Not less than fifty percent (50%) of the reimbursement shall be made prior to the last day of the first semester of the academic year for which the scholarship is awarded. The balance of the scholarship shall be reimbursed to the appropriate institution prior to the close of the second semester of that academic year.
If insufficient funds are appropriated, the reimbursement shall be proportionally reduced based on tuition and fee expenses. The commission shall promulgate rules
and regulations
for the implementation of the
scholarship

authorized by
this section, including the reimbursement
process
for
appropriate
post secondary

educational institutions
.

Section 2.

The
Wyoming
community college commission shall promulgate rules and regulations implementing W.S. 19
‑
17
‑
101 as created by section 1 of this act in sufficient time to enable application for scholarships during the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition, the
commission

shall
consult the
Wyoming
military department in establishing an application process
under
W.S. 19
‑
17
‑
101 as created by section 1 of this act and in notifying eligible persons of the scholarship
program
.

Section 3
.

There is appropriated
fifty thousand dollars ($50,000
.00) from the general fund to the community college commission
for the period beginning with the effective date of this
section
and ending June 30, 2010
.
This appropriation shall only
be expended for the purpose of providing reimbursement to educational institutions as provided in W.S. 19
‑
17
‑
101(d) created under this act.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be transferred or
expended for any other purpose.

Section 4
.

(a)

Except for subsection (b) of this section, t
hi
s act is effective July 1, 2009; and

(b)

Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, section
s
2
and 3
of this act
are
effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

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HB0192