State-Level GI Bill Reform

[Kay]

Photo by Flickr user martnpro used under a Creative Commons license.

This weekend veterans from around the country paraded through the streets of DC on motorcycles, but last week the Senate passed massive Webb-Hagel GI Bill reform legislation with a veto-proof majority. While the bill on the national level is still in the works, it looks like some states are starting to step in and attempt to repair the GI Bill legislation on their own. New Jersey's proposed legislation is particularly generous, limiting the amount that a veteran or veteran's widow to pay only $50 per credit for a public in-state college or university. Other states that are offering free or reduced-fee tuition are Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. The worry, of course, is that states will pass the legislation without compensating for the added cost. This could end up causing higher tuition among non-veteran students.

It seems that GI Bill reform is yet another thing that states are taking on to compensate for the lack of movement on the national level, much like immigration reform, health care reform, and gay marriage/civil unions. When there's lack of movement on a national level to create reform, states will start to pass reforms. The result is a patchwork of legislation around the country, leaving some veterans high and dry while others that have (limited) options.