Resident fees for nonresident veterans and eligible spouses and children enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System or a technical college. (FE)

This bill requires technical college districts to charge resident fees to: 1) a veteran living in this state, regardless of whether the veteran is a resident, if the veteran was discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service within the three years before the date of enrollment in the technical college; and 2) the veteran's spouse or child, living in this state, who is eligible for certain federal benefits by virtue of his or her relationship to the veteran.

For purposes of item 1), above, the date of enrollment is the date on which the student's fees deposit is received. After a veteran or qualifying spouse or child is enrolled at a technical college, the technical college district must continue to charge resident fees for as long as the veteran or spouse or child is continuously enrolled.

Current law allows the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System to charge different tuition rates to resident and nonresident students. In general, to receive resident student tuition, an adult student must have been a bona fide Wisconsin resident for at least 12 months before the semester of enrollment begins and the student's presence in Wisconsin principally to obtain an education does not count toward this 12-month residency period. However, current law also includes nonresident tuition exemptions under which certain nonresidents pay resident tuition rates, including the following exemptions for members of the armed forces and veterans: 1) nonresident members of the armed forces and persons engaged in alternative service who are stationed in this state on active duty, and their spouses and children, are entitled to an exemption while stationed in this state;

2) nonresident persons who served in active duty in the armed forces for at least ten years, who were honorably discharged within four years before applying at an institution, and who meet other criteria, and their spouses and children, are entitled to an exemption; and 3) a veteran meeting certain criteria who was a resident of this state at the time of entry into active duty and who resides in this state at the time of registration is entitled to an exemption.

This bill specifies that, for purposes of determining the date of enrollment of a student under federal law relating to resident tuition for nonresident veterans, the Board of Regents must consider the date of enrollment at a UW System institution to be the date on which the student's academic fees deposit or tuition deposit is received.