SF 2274 (LSB 5248SV (5) 83)

SENATE FILE 2274

BY  COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

(SUCCESSOR TO SF 2105)

(As Amended and Passed by the Senate 2010-02-22)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to certain national security and military education benefits and programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 260C.14, subsection 14, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (b), Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (b)  “Qualified military person” means a person on active duty in the military service of the United States who is stationed in this state or at the Rock Island arsenal. If the qualified military person is transferred, deployed, or restationed while the person’s spouse or dependent child is enrolled in the community college, the spouse or dependent child shall continue to be classified as a resident until the close of the fiscal year in which provided the spouse or dependent child is enrolled maintains continuous enrollment.
    Sec. 2.  Section 260C.14, subsection 14, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (c), subparagraph subdivision (ii), Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (ii)  Is domiciled Has resided in this state at least one year or sufficient time to have filed an Iowa tax return in the preceding twelve months.
    Sec. 3.  Section 260C.14, subsection 20, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   Adopt a policy to offer not less than the following options to a student who is a member, or the spouse of a member if the member has a dependent child as defined in subsection 14, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), of the Iowa national guard or reserve forces of the United States and who is ordered to state military service or federal service or duty:
    Sec. 4.  Section 261.9, subsection 1, paragraph g, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   g.  (1)  Adopts a policy to offer not less than the following options to a student who is a member, or the spouse of a member if the member has a dependent child, of the Iowa national guard or reserve forces of the United States and who is ordered to state military service or federal service or duty:
   (1)  (a)  Withdraw from the student’s entire registration and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
   (2)  (b)  Make arrangements with the student’s instructors for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student’s registration shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
   (3)  (c)  Make arrangements with only some of the student’s instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.
   (2)  As used in this lettered paragraph, “dependent child” means the same as defined in section 260C.14, subsection 14, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a).
    Sec. 5.  Section 262.9, subsection 17, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (b), Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (b)  “Qualified military person” means a person on active duty in the military service of the United States who is stationed in this state or at the Rock Island arsenal. If the qualified military person is transferred, deployed, or restationed while the person’s spouse or dependent child is enrolled in an institution of higher education under the control of the board, the spouse or dependent child shall continue to be classified as a resident until the close of the fiscal year in which provided the spouse or dependent child is enrolled maintains continuous enrollment.
    Sec. 6.  Section 262.9, subsection 17, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (c), subparagraph subdivision (ii), Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (ii)  Is domiciled Has resided in this state at least one year or sufficient time to have filed an Iowa tax return in the preceding twelve months.
    Sec. 7.  Section 262.9, subsection 30, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code Supplement 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   Direct the institutions of higher education under its control to adopt a policy to offer not less than the following options to a student who is a member, or the spouse of a member if the member has a dependent child as defined in subsection 17, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), of the Iowa national guard or reserve forces of the United States and who is ordered to state military service or federal service or duty:
    Sec. 8.  Section 272.8, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   272.8  License to applicants from other states or countries.
   1.  The board may issue a license to an applicant from another state or country if the applicant files evidence of the possession of the required or equivalent requirements with the board.  If the applicant is the spouse of a military person who is on duty or in active state duty as defined in section 29A.1, subsections 9 and 11, the board shall assign a consultant to be the single point of contact for the applicant regarding nontraditional licensure.
   2.  The executive director of the board may, subject to board approval, enter into reciprocity agreements with another state or country for the licensing of practitioners on an equitable basis of mutual exchange, when the action is in conformity with law.
   3.  Practitioner preparation and professional development programs offered in this state by out-of-state institutions must be approved by the board in order to fulfill requirements for licensure or renewal of a license by an applicant.
    Sec. 9.  NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM WORKING GROUP.  The department of education, in collaboration with the state board of regents, shall convene a working group that includes but is not limited to representatives of the business community of this state, to explore the possibility of securing the cooperation and assistance of the United States department of defense, the national defense university, and the national security education board to participate in the federal national security education program and establish a foreign language road map, flagship program, and timeline in this state for K-16 and graduate-level students. The working group also shall study the feasibility, including but not limited to the costs, of establishing the road map, program, and timeline, and shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the general assembly by January 15, 2011.
    Sec. 10.  DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS —— VETERANS AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN POSTSECONDARY UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION BENEFITS STUDY.  The department of veterans affairs shall conduct a study, in collaboration with the state board of regents and the department of education and other postsecondary stakeholders as determined by the department of veterans affairs, of the need to provide greater postsecondary undergraduate education benefits for veterans and their dependents, including but not limited to dependent children of service-connected disabled veterans. The study shall include a review of current federal education benefits for veterans and their dependents, cost and participation estimates, and a review of educational benefits currently provided to veterans and their dependents by other states throughout the country. The department of veterans affairs shall submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by December 31, 2010.