Members of the Missouri House Budget Committee are proposing a new fund to provide tuition assistance for National Guard members who are also enrolled in college.
The move comes because the federal government has suspended federal tuition assistance for National Guard soldiers due to sequestration cuts. House Budget Chair Rick Stream (R, Kirkwood) says they’ve reallocated $1.5 million in next year’s state budget to make up the difference.
“While tuition assistance has not been a contractual requirement of the state or federal governments, it has been a longstanding educational benefit and recruiting tool upon which thousands of our Missouri National guardsmen have relied upon to further and complete their higher education,” Stream said. "For many of them who sacrifice so much to serve our state and country, this is the only way for them to complete a college education."
Funding for the newly-named Show-Me Heroes Education Fund was taken from budget allocations for both Higher Education and MoDOT. If approved, the fund is expected to benefit nearly 1,400 Missouri Army and Air National Guard members.
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