House Education reviews proposal to extend Vermont National Guard tuition benefit in H.480

Witnesses told the House Education Committee on Wednesday that section 11 of H.480 would remove a sunset and resolve inconsistent language in the VSAC statute governing the Vermont National Guard Tuition Benefit Program. Tom Little, representing VITSEC, described the benefit as a forgivable loan program administered under VSAC statute §2857 that conditions tuition forgiveness on subsequent service and said the Guard requests making a recent temporary expansion permanent.

“The guard has presented its proposal to lift that sunset,” Tom Little said, raising the committee’s attention to a subsection that allowed members to pursue a second bachelor’s or a master’s degree subject to a sunset. Little said that participation rose from seven Guard members in 2022–23 to 18 the following academic year and that the Guard views the benefit as important for recruitment and retention.

Little also said he found conflicting subsections in the statute about whether members may pursue an out-of-state program when a program is not available in Vermont; the proposed change would make those cross-references consistent. He told the committee the program is funded through the Guard appropriation transferred to VSAC for distribution to institutions where members enroll.

Committee members asked how the program handles demand if available appropriations are limited. Little said awards are made on a rolling basis and that the program has not historically exhausted its funds on an annualized basis; the Guard files an annual report to the committee with usage statistics. Little said Senate Education had taken a straw vote in favor of the bill’s language.

No formal vote on section 11 was taken at the hearing. The committee indicated it expects testimony from the deputy adjutant general in a later session to offer additional detail on funding and program administration.