SB164: Bill Text

LRB-1848/1

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2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE

2015 Senate BILL 164

May 14, 2015 - Introduced by Senators Petrowski, Carpenter, Roth, Bewley, Cowles, Harsdorf, Lassa, Wirch and Ringhand, cosponsored by Representatives Skowronski, Billings, Petryk, Ballweg, Berceau, Brandtjen, Brostoff, Goyke, Hesselbein, Jacque, Kolste, Kremer, Milroy, Murphy, Novak, Pope, Riemer, Rohrkaste, Sinicki, Spiros, Spreitzer, Subeck and Weatherston. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Veterans Affairs.

SB164,1,3 An Act to amend 38.24 (3) (a); and to create 38.24 (3m) of the statutes; relating to: charging resident fees to nonresident veterans and their family members attending technical colleges.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

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.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB164,1 Section 1. 38.24 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB164,2,5 38.24 (3) (a) For Except as provided in sub. (3m), for all students who are not residents of this state, nor subject to reciprocal agreements with the board, annually the board shall establish a fee based on 150 percent of program fees established under sub. (1m) (a) and (b).

SB164,2 Section 2. 38.24 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:

SB164,2,9 38.24 (3m) Nonresident fee exemption for veterans and their spouses and children. (a) In this subsection, "covered individual" has the meaning given in 38 USC 3679 (c) (2).

SB164,2,11 (b) The district boards shall charge covered individuals living in this state the fees established under sub. (1m) (a) and (b).

SB164,2,16 (c) After a covered individual living in this state is enrolled at a technical college and is charged fees in accordance with par. (b), fees established in accordance with this subsection, rather than sub. (3) (a), shall continue to be charged to the covered individual for as long as the covered individual is continuously enrolled at the technical college.

SB164,2,18 (d) This subsection does not affect any other fee exemption or fee remission for which a covered individual may be eligible under this section.

SB164,3 Section 3. Initial applicability.

SB164,3,2 (1) This act first applies to students enrolled for the first semester or session beginning after the effective date of this subsection.

SB164,3,3 (End)