HF 2491 (LSB 5952HV (1) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2491

BY  COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2132)

A BILL FOR

An Act providing for a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees at regents institutions for certain veterans with service-connected disabilities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 262.9, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  43.  a.  Direct the institutions of higher education governed by the board to waive all tuition and mandatory fees for a veteran, as defined in section 35.1, who has a permanent service-connected disability rating of one hundred percent as certified by the United States department of veterans affairs and who applies to and is admitted for enrollment at the institution.
   b.  A veteran shall only be eligible for a waiver under this subsection if the veteran is not eligible for or has exhausted any other available federal or state sources of financial assistance for such tuition and fees, including but not limited to the Pell grant program and education benefits from the United States department of veterans affairs. The institution shall prorate the waiver each semester to cover any difference between other federal or state financial assistance obtained by the veteran and the amount of such tuition and fees.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill requires regents institutions to waive all tuition and mandatory fees for a veteran who has a permanent service-connected disability rating of 100 percent and who applies to and is admitted for enrollment at the institution.
   A veteran shall only be eligible for a waiver if the veteran is not eligible for or has exhausted any other available federal or state sources of financial assistance for such tuition and fees. The institution shall prorate the waiver to cover any difference between other federal or state financial assistance obtained and the amount of such tuition and fees.