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Committee hears bill giving Guard and Reserve members 15 days to make up missed coursework
Summary
House Bill 553 would amend the Montana Military Service Higher Education Act to require colleges to allow service members who miss graded work for inactive duty training (IDT) or annual training (AT) at least 15 days to make up missed assignments or exams; the Department of Military Affairs and the National Guard testified in support.
House Bill 553, sponsored by Representative George Nikolicakos, would amend the Montana Military Service Higher Education Act to require that members of the National Guard and Reserve who miss an assignment, exam, midterm or final because of inactive duty training (IDT) or annual training (AT) have 15 business days to make up the missed work.
Representative Nikolicakos said the bill reflects the reality that many guard and reserve service members balance full-time civilian jobs, families and military obligations; he argued a statutory baseline would reduce awkward interactions and uncertainty between students and faculty.
Brigadier General Renee Dorval, deputy director for the Department of Military Affairs, testified in support and described the operational needs that mean members sometimes must train over extended periods (for example, Thursday through Sunday drills) that can conflict with coursework. Lieutenant Colonel Todd Wayne, deputy staff judge advocate for the Montana Army National Guard, provided informational testimony explaining the intent is to cover reserve-component service members during their IDT/AT obligations.
Committee members asked about definitions and scope. Representative Romano asked whether the statute’s “eligible student” definition would include part-time and full-time students; the sponsor and staff said the statute applies to reserve-component service members on IDT/AT and would not typically apply while a member is on active federal orders. Representative Seekins Crow asked whether the statutory minimum would conflict with existing discretionary faculty extensions. The sponsor and military witnesses said the bill provides an affirmative minimum (“at least 15 business days”) and would not prevent faculty from offering longer extensions in individual cases.
Proponents emphasized retention benefits for the Guard and Reserve: Brig. Gen. Dorval said the 15-day allowance would reduce academic harm from missed graded work and support both military and academic careers. The committee did not take final action during the hearing; the sponsor asked for a due-pass recommendation when the bill is scheduled for executive action.
