Florida Senate - 2021                              CS for SB 782
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
       Domestic Security; and Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       583-02582-21                                           2021782c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational opportunities for
    3         veterans; creating s. 295.011, F.S.; defining the term
    4         “disabled veteran”; providing that disabled veterans
    5         receiving certain federal educational assistance
    6         benefits are eligible to receive an award for the
    7         remaining cost of tuition and fees at state
    8         universities and Florida College System institutions;
    9         specifying applicability of other laws; providing an
   10         effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 295.011, Florida Statutes, is created to
   15  read:
   16         295.011 Disabled veterans; education.—
   17         (1) As used in this section, the term “disabled veteran”
   18  means an individual who is a resident of this state pursuant to
   19  s. 1009.21 and is:
   20         (a) Determined by the United States Department of Veterans
   21  Affairs to have a service-connected 100-percent total and
   22  permanent disability rating for compensation;
   23         (b) Determined to have a service-connected total and
   24  permanent disability rating of 100 percent and is in receipt of
   25  disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States
   26  Armed Services; or
   27         (c) Issued a valid identification card by the Department of
   28  Veterans’ Affairs in accordance with s. 295.17.
   29         (2) Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, a disabled
   30  veteran who receives a tuition benefit to attend a state
   31  university or a Florida College System institution under the
   32  Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, Pub. L.
   33  No. 110-252, but who does not qualify for the 100-percent
   34  eligibility tier under federal law, is eligible for an award for
   35  tuition and fees which is equal to the amount that is the
   36  difference between the portion of tuition and fees paid in
   37  accordance with federal law and the full amount of tuition and
   38  fees at the institution attended.
   39         (3) Sections 295.03, 295.04, 295.05, and 1009.40 apply to
   40  any disabled veteran who receives an award under this section.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.