LRB-4214/1
ARG&AJM:jld&wlj
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
September 14, 2017 - Introduced by Senators Vukmir, Marklein, Nass, Stroebel
and Carpenter, cosponsored by Representatives Kuglitsch, Allen, E.
Brooks
, R. Brooks, Edming, Gannon, Jacque, Jagler, Kremer, Krug, Kulp,
Mursau, Petryk, Skowronski, Spiros, Steffen, Tittl, VanderMeer,
Weatherston, Anderson and C. Taylor. Referred to Committee on
Universities and Technical Colleges.
SB410,1,3 1An Act to repeal 321.40 (3) (b) 3.; and to amend 321.40 (3) (a), 321.40 (3) (b) 2.
2and 321.40 (3) (c) of the statutes; relating to: the tuition grant program for
3national guard members administered by the Department of Military Affairs.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill clarifies the tuition grant amount awarded to eligible national guard
members who complete higher education courses and modifies provisions relating to
administration of the tuition grant program.
Under current law, the Department of Military Affairs awards tuition grants
to national guard members to reimburse them for higher education tuition costs if
certain eligibility criteria and other requirements are satisfied. Grant applications
must contain information required by DMA to establish that the applicant qualifies
for the grant. They must also contain the signatures of the guard member and a
representative of the guard member's school, certifying course completion and that
the guard member maintains the required minimum grade point average. The
amount of the tuition grant payment is equal to 100 percent of the actual tuition
charged by the guard member's school or 100 percent of the maximum resident
undergraduate tuition charged by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a
comparable number of credits, whichever amount is less.
Current law also authorizes the Board of Regents of the UW System to establish
differing tuition for different classes of students enrolled in educational programs,
commonly referred to as differential tuition. Although current law does not define
differential tuition, the Board of Regents adopted a policy describing differential

tuition as tuition that is added to the base tuition level for the purpose of
supplementing services and programming for students within a UW System
institution. Differential tuition, which can be institution-wide or program-specific,
must be approved by the Board of Regents and, after approval, may be incorporated
into the institution's tuition schedule. For example, the Board of Regents has
approved program-specific differential tuition at UW-Madison for students in
engineering and business programs.
This bill clarifies that differential tuition, as applicable, must be included in
calculating the maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by UW-Madison
when DMA determines the amount of tuition grants to award to eligible guard
members. The bill also removes the requirement that grant applications contain the
signatures of the guard member and the school's representative certifying course
completion and compliance with GPA requirements. The bill requires DMA to rely
on a qualifying school's certification in determining that an applicant has achieved
the minimum GPA to be eligible for a tuition grant. The bill also requires DMA to
make payment of the tuition grant not later than 30 days after receiving this
certification.
For further information see the state 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:
SB410,1 1Section 1. 321.40 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB410,3,22 321.40 (3) (a) Any eligible guard member upon satisfactory completion of a
3full-time or part-time course in a qualifying school may apply for a tuition grant
4equal to 100 percent of the actual tuition charged by the school or 100 percent of the
5maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by the University of
6Wisconsin-Madison for a comparable number of credits, whichever amount is less.
7In calculating the maximum resident undergraduate tuition charged by the
8University of Wisconsin-Madison for purposes of this paragraph, the department
9shall include in the calculation all additional tuition established or approved by the
10Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under s. 36.27 (1) (a) for
11undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and for students
12enrolled in a particular undergraduate academic program at the University of

1Wisconsin-Madison if the eligible guard member is enrolled in the same or
2equivalent program.
SB410,2 3Section 2 . 321.40 (3) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB410,3,54 321.40 (3) (b) 2. Contain such information and be in such form as the
5department requires to establish that the applicant qualifies for the grant; and.
SB410,3 6Section 3 . 321.40 (3) (b) 3. of the statutes is repealed.
SB410,4 7Section 4 . 321.40 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB410,3,148 321.40 (3) (c) Except as provided under par. (d), upon determination that the
9applicant is eligible to receive the payment, the department shall make payment of
10the tuition grant to the applicant in the amount determined under par. (a).
11Notwithstanding par. (b) 2., the department shall rely on a qualifying school's
12certification in determining that an applicant is eligible under sub. (2) (e) to receive
13the payment and the department shall make the payment not later than 30 days
14after the department receives the certification.
SB410,3,1515 (End)
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