HF 3877

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to veterans; increasing the per semester and annual grant amount for
veterans receiving Minnesota GI Bill educational assistance for higher education;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement, section 197.791, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement, section 197.791, subdivision 5,
is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Benefit amount.

(a) On approval by the commissioner of eligibility for
the program, the applicant shall be awarded, on a funds-available basis, the educational
assistance under the program for use at any time according to program rules at any
eligible institution.

(b) The amount of educational assistance in any semester or term for an eligible
person must be determined by subtracting from the eligible person's cost of attendance the
amount the person received or was eligible to receive in that semester or term from:

(1) the federal Pell Grant;

(2) the state grant program under section 136A.121; and

(3) any federal military or veterans educational benefits including but not limited
to the Montgomery GI Bill, GI Bill Kicker, the federal tuition assistance program,
vocational rehabilitation benefits, and any other federal benefits associated with the
person's status as a veteran, except veterans disability payments from the United States
Veterans Administration.

(c) The amount of educational assistance for any eligible person who is a full-time
student must not exceed the following:

(1) deleted text begin $1,000 deleted text end new text begin $1,250 new text end per semester or term of enrollment;

(2) deleted text begin $2,000 deleted text end new text begin $2,500 new text end per state fiscal year; and

(3) $10,000 in a lifetime.

For a part-time student, the amount of educational assistance must not exceed deleted text begin $500 deleted text end new text begin
$625 new text end per semester or term of enrollment. For the purpose of this paragraph, a part-time
undergraduate student is a student taking fewer than 12 credits for a semester or term
of enrollment and a part-time graduate student is a student considered part time by the
eligible institution the graduate student is attending.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2008, for grant applications
pending on or after that date.
new text end