SF 3461

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 09/27/2018 08:23am

A bill for an act
relating to military veterans; recodifying certain GI Bill statutory language; making
technical changes; amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 197.791, subdivision
6, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 197.791,
subdivisions 3, 5.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 197.791, subdivision 3, is amended
to read:

Subd. 3.

Duties; responsibilities.

(a) The commissioner shall establish policies and
procedures including, but not limited to, procedures for student application record keeping,
information sharing, payment of educational assistance benefits under subdivision 5, payment
of apprenticeship or on-the-job training benefits under subdivision 5a, payment of other
educational or professional benefits under subdivision 5 5b, and other procedures the
commissioner considers appropriate and necessary for effective and efficient administration
of the program established in this section.

(b) The commissioner may delegate part or all of the administrative procedures for the
program to responsible representatives of participating eligible institutions. The commissioner
may execute an interagency agreement with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education for
services the commissioner determines necessary to administer the program.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 197.791, subdivision 5, is amended
to read:

Subd. 5.

Educational assistance 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
and payments made under the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP).

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

(1) $3,000 per state fiscal year; and

(2) $10,000 in a lifetime.

(d) A person eligible under this subdivision may use the benefit amounts for the following
purposes:

(1) licensing or certification tests, the successful completion of which demonstrates an
individual's possession of the knowledge or skill required to enter into, maintain, or advance
in employment in a predetermined and identified vocation or profession, provided that the
tests and the licensing or credentialing organizations or entities that offer the tests are
approved by the commissioner;

(2) tests for admission to institutions of higher learning or graduate schools;

(3) national tests providing an opportunity for course credit at institutions of higher
learning;

(4) a preparatory course for a test that is required or used for admission to an institution
of higher education or a graduate program; and

(5) any fee associated with the pursuit of a professional or educational objective specified
in clauses (1) to (4).

(e) If an eligible person receives benefits under subdivision 5, the eligible person's
aggregate benefits under this subdivision and subdivision 5 must not exceed $10,000 in the
eligible person's lifetime.

(f) If an eligible person receives benefits under subdivision 5a, the eligible person's
aggregate benefits under this subdivision and subdivision 5a must not exceed $10,000 in
the eligible person's lifetime.

(d) For a part-time student, the amount of educational assistance must not exceed $500
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 or the equivalent 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. The minimum award for
undergraduate and graduate students is $50 per term.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 197.791, is amended by adding a subdivision to
read:

Subd. 5b.

Additional professional or educational benefits.

(a) The commissioner shall
develop and implement a program to administer a portion of the Minnesota GI Bill program
to pay additional benefit amounts to eligible persons as provided under this subdivision.

(b) A person is eligible for additional benefits under this subdivision if the person meets
the criteria established under subdivision 4, paragraph (a), clause (1). The commissioner
may determine eligibility as provided in subdivision 4, paragraph (c), and may deny or
terminate benefits as prescribed under subdivision 4, paragraphs (d) and (e). The amount
of assistance paid to or on behalf of an eligible individual under this subdivision must not
exceed the following amounts:

(1) $3,000 per state fiscal year; and

(2) $10,000 in a lifetime.

(c) A person eligible under this subdivision may use the benefit amounts for the following
purposes:

(1) licensing or certification tests, the successful completion of which demonstrates an
individual's possession of the knowledge or skill required to enter into, maintain, or advance
in employment in a predetermined and identified vocation or profession, provided that the
tests and the licensing or credentialing organizations or entities that offer the tests are
approved by the commissioner;

(2) tests for admission to institutions of higher learning or graduate schools;

(3) national tests providing an opportunity for course credit at institutions of higher
learning;

(4) a preparatory course for a test that is required or used for admission to an institution
of higher education or a graduate program; and

(5) any fee associated with the pursuit of a professional or educational objective specified
in clauses (1) to (4).

(d) If an eligible person receives benefits under subdivision 5, the eligible person's
aggregate benefits under this subdivision and subdivision 5 must not exceed $10,000 in the
eligible person's lifetime.

(e) If an eligible person receives benefits under subdivision 5a, the eligible person's
aggregate benefits under this subdivision and subdivision 5a must not exceed $10,000 in
the eligible person's lifetime.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 197.791, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Appropriation.

The amount necessary to pay the benefit amounts in subdivisions
5 and, 5a, and 5b is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner. During any
fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2012, the amount paid under this subdivision must
not exceed $6,000,000.