JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A plan being considered in the Missouri House aims to use state funds to help members of the Missouri National Guard who would lose their federal tuition assistance as a result of automatic federal spending cuts.
The spending cuts, which total $85 billion, took effect March 1 and have caused the military to cut back on tuition assistance. The U.S. Army has announced it would be suspending all new requests for tuition aid, which would affect all students seeking to enroll in the summer semester. That could impact the 905 members of the Missouri Army National Guard who currently receive tuition aid from the federal government.
To help offset those cuts, some Missouri House members have proposed expanding the state budget to include additional state tuition assistance. The proposed emergency fund would use $1.5 million in state tax revenue for tuition aid during the fiscal year that starts July 1. Missouri already uses state resources to fund the tuition of 277 members of the Army National Guard, and the additional funding would allow students currently receiving federal help to join that program.
“We believe that tuition assistance for student soldiers and airman in the Missouri National Guard should have been one of the last budget items cut due to sequestration,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, a Navy veteran and former Defense Department employee.
Under the House plan, service members would qualify for tuition assistance if they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have been accepted to a Missouri public university. Students would then need to maintain a 2.5 GPA to remain eligible.
Service members are disqualified if they pursue degrees in divinity or theology or if they have already received bachelor’s degrees. Missouri’s aid is based on the cost of credit hours at the University of Missouri system.
One of the lawmakers involved in the House proposal personally knows how it helps. Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-Lee’s Summit, has two sons currently serving in the Missouri National Guard who used tuition aid and another who is going to be enrolling during the year. Grisamore said he is “hopeful” the federal government would restore the cuts.
