SB 164

Under current law, the Technical College System (TCS) Board establishes

program fees that the technical college districts must charge students. With

exceptions, the fees for nonresidents are 150 percent of the fees for residents. The

TCS Board must establish procedures to determine the residence of students

attending technical colleges, but statutes specify that certain students must be

considered residents of this state, including veterans verified by the Department of

Veterans Affairs (DVA) as being residents for purposes of receiving specified benefits.

Current law also provides for full fee remission at technical colleges for certain

resident veterans and qualifying family members under certain circumstances.

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. 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.