SB93 by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte will make Hazelwood Tuition Exemption available to all Veterans
(Austin TX) Veterans Land Board Chairman Jerry Patterson and Paul Herrera Lt. Col. (ret) and head of the American GI Forum a Veterans group testified yesterday on behalf of SB93 which if passed will make Hazelwood Tuition Exemptions available to all veterans.
Commissioner Jerry Patterson has been one of the strong supporters of the Hazelwood Tuition Exceptions for all veterans. He opposed an Opinion by the Attorney General which allowed only Texas Citizens" be granted full benefits from the act. A Texas Citizen had to be a U.S. Citizen before entering into military service to qualify for the Tuition Exemption. He later reversed the Opinion.
In his testimony Paul Herrera State Commander of the American GI Forum stated SB 93 codifies the existing Higher Education Coordinating Board Rule Adopted on April 24 2008 that allows legal permanent to access to Hazelwood tuition exemption and restores the original intent of the Hazelwood Act.
The American GI Forum joined MALDEF and LULAC with litigation directed at the Opinion rendered by the Attorney General denying legal permanent resident their Hazlewood tuition exemption because they had not entered the military as citizens. After litigation ensued the Attorney General on January 14 2008 determined that denying Legal Permanent Residents their Hazlewood tuition exemption would violate the U.S. constitution.
Prior to the Higher Education Coordinating Board Rule and the last Attorney General Opinion US Citizens were being denied tuition exemptions because they did not enter the military as a US Citizen. We are here today to testify in support of SB93 that ensures all veterans coming home to Texas their Hazelwood Tuition Exemption and their rightful benefit of higher education.
We believe that tuition exemptions are a tremendously powerful recruiting tool for our military and provides higher education opportunities for countless military veterans.
The American GI Forum wants all veterans to have the same equal opportunities in education in our state just as they do their job equally on the battlefield and in the service of our country" Herrera concluded.
