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Senate education committee advances bill expanding National Guard tuition aid, requires fee transparency
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 12-91, which expands the state's Strong Act tuition assistance to include certain undergraduate and master's program fees and requires the Military Department to publish covered fee amounts annually.
The Tennessee Senate Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 12-91 to the Finance Committee after approving an amendment that requires the Tennessee Military Department to post covered undergraduate course fees and master's program fees on its website by Aug. 1 each year.
The bill, sponsored in committee by Sen. Jack Powers, would expand the state's Strong Act tuition-assistance program to cover undergraduate course fees and fees for master's degree programs and raise the program's semester-hour cap to 130 hours, supporters said. "Senate Bill 12-91 amends the Strong Act by expanding tuition assistance to include undergraduate course fees and master's degree program fees," Powers told the committee.
Supporters and committee members focused discussion on funding and implementation. During a question-and-answer exchange, Sen. Frank Pote asked whether the additional assistance would be paid from the state lottery fund. Brian Slack, legislative director for the Tennessee Military Department, told the committee that funding for the expansion was included in the governor's budget request, not the lottery.
The committee also clarified how the program would coordinate with existing federal tuition assistance and grants. Scarlett Briney, education services officer for the Tennessee National Guard, explained the existing calculation used by the Military Department: federal tuition assistance and other grants are applied first, then the Strong Act covers the remainder up to the capped in-state tuition rate. Briney described the cap as a ceiling, not an automatic full payment of the maximum amount.
After the amendment was adopted and final remarks from Powers, the clerk recorded a unanimous committee voice vote in favor; the chair reported "9 ayes," and the bill was referred to Finance.
The measure now awaits consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. Committee members who questioned the bill emphasized the proposal's role as a Guard retention tool and the administrative details needed to coordinate state, federal and institutional funds.
Votes at a glance: The committee recorded 9 ayes and no noes on the motion to advance SB 12-91 to Finance.
Context: The Strong Act is the state program that supplements federal tuition assistance for qualified members of the Tennessee National Guard. The amendment adopted in committee adds a transparency requirement (annual published fee amounts) and clarifies reimbursement timing and eligibility for members suspended from federal tuition assistance for academic reasons.
