Burns: Guaranteeing in-state tuition for children in reassigned military families is right thing to do
Rep. Frank Burns April 2, 2019 | 9:27 AM
HARRISBURG, April 2 – Students in active-duty military families in Pennsylvania deserve in-state tuition rates, even if their parent is reassigned to another state before they begin their education, said state Rep. Frank Burns.
Burns, D-Cambria, said his legislation, H.B. 1050, would ensure military families are guaranteed the in-state tuition rate as soon as a student submits an enrollment deposit to a public college or university, even if their military parent is later reassigned to another state.
“It’s not right that these students are penalized because their mother’s or father’s reassignment occurs at the wrong time,” said Burns. “Members of the military and their families make enormous sacrifices to our country each and every day, and it’s up to the legislature to correct this oversight.”
Burns added that under current law, dependents of military personnel in Pennsylvania who enroll at a public college or university in Pennsylvania are charged in-state tuition rates. However, the U.S. Department of Defense found some students lost the in-state rate, due to a parent’s reassignment outside of Pennsylvania, between the day the student was accepted to the college or university and the first day of the semester.
Burns’ legislation has support from both parties, including the Republican and Democratic chairmen of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, the panel that is expected to consider the legislation.