Virginia lawmakers on Thursday quickly and unanimously passed a full repeal of changes to a popular military family tuition waiver program, concluding a chaotic and sometimes-heated battle in the General Assembly.
The legislation, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Thursday afternoon, fully repeals all changes made to the military tuition program this year through the budget, and adds $90 million from the revenue surplus to the program for the two-year budget period.
“We stand resolute with our veterans, first responders, and their families,” Youngkin said in a release. “We will always honor the sacrifice of all our military heroes, Gold Star families, first responders, and all those who have served their nation and their Commonwealth. We know that freedom is not free.”
The program will get $65 million each year during the next two years. Previously, universities had to cover the cost of the waiver program, which had grown exponentially in recent years.
In the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said the bill balances out support for military families while avoiding financially burdening other students.
“As I have said before, making higher education affordable for all students is a priority that should be shared by everyone,” Lucas said.
Lucas and Delegate Luke Torian, D-Dumfries, announced a plan July 2 to introduce and vote on identical repeal bills. Both legislative chambers passed the identical bills, avoiding a conference committee.
Additionally, several groups are studying the program. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission is assessing the program’s viability and will share the report with the General Assembly by Sept. 1. Youngkin has also convened a task force on the issue, and state senators formed a select work group.
On the Senate floor, Tara Durant, R-Fredricksburg, criticized Democrats for spending taxpayer money to have lawmakers return to Richmond multiple times over the past few weeks. Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, countered, saying the extra time allowed them to use the latest revenue surplus figures available.
“We did have some end-of-year growth, and we are now funding this program fully, to the degree we understand the costs, for each year of the next biennium,” Favola said, adding that wasn’t the case for previously considered repeal bills.
Previously, the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program provided tuition waivers and an annual stipend to spouses and children of veterans who are killed, missing in action, taken prisoner or at least 90% permanently disabled as a result of service.
The estimated cost of the program’s tuition waivers has nearly quadrupled, from $12 million in 2019 to $46.3 million in 2022, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Projections from earlier this year showed the lost tuition revenue will likely grow to over $190 million by 2026.
The Virginia budget, which went into effect July 1, imposed several new restrictions on the tuition waiver program in an attempt to curb rising costs. It required applicants to be Virginia residents and limited the program waivers to undergraduate degrees. The budget also required applicants to apply for and use other sources of state and federal financial aid first.
The changes were met with outrage from military families.
The Senate and House had previously sparred over the best fix for the legislation. The Senate Appropriations committee advanced a bill from Lucas mostly repealing the changes on July 1, but the full Senate did not vote on the bill due to a 48-hour waiting period.
On June 18, Lucas declined to hear several pieces of legislation fully repealing the changes.
After the current bill’s passage, Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, criticized Republicans for painting those who wanted to rein in the program’s costs as anti-military. She said several family members — including her father and several brothers — were veterans. She contrasted the bill with Project 2025 — a presidential transition plan from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank that aims to limit which disabilities will qualify veterans for benefits.
“So, who’s really anti-veteran?” Locke asked.
Lawmakers did not take up any efforts to repeal a statewide ban on skill games — slot machine-like video gaming devices once active in gas stations and other locations. During the Appropriations committee, Lucas said House leaders are not ready to deal with the issue yet, but hoped to advance legislation in an October special session.
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