RICHMOND, Va. —
The Virginia House of Delegates made a big move today in discussing military educational benefits. At a special session, lawmakers passed a bill that would fully repeal changes to a decade-old tuition waiver.
The Virginia Military Spouses and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) is a tuition waiver for families of fallen or disabled veterans, allowing those who qualify to receive higher education for free. Language in the signed state budget changed the program's eligibility rules back in March. The move sparked outrage amongst military families.
Since then, those affected along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin have called on elected officials to remove the new language and restore the program in full.
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On Friday, the House made good on that with HB-6003. The bill removes and reverses the language that was signed into the budget back in March., effectively bringing VMSDEP back to where it was. The vote passed 92-0 on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, studies are still underway to determine the program's long-term viability.
The action in the House comes a week after Senator Louise Lucas, stonewalled voting in the Senate during their special session.
RELATED: Virginia Senate fails to act on changes to military benefits program during special session
Senator Angelia Williams-Graves (D, 21st District) sent a statement to 13News Now saying:
"First, I want to reiterate my deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by our service members, first responders, and their families. The Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) is a crucial benefit, honoring those sacrifices by providing educational opportunities.
"In recent weeks, I've had the privilege of engaging in a meaningful conversation with a respected veteran colleague, reading emails from veterans & their spouses as well as survivors. Those discussions and emails provided invaluable insights into military life and yielded a deeper understanding of the significance of the scholarship program for our veteran, service member, and first responder community. Furthermore, it highlighted the challenges these families face due to changes in the VMSDEP program. While I still believe this issue deserves further dialogue to ensure the long-term viability for the program participants and the Commonwealth, I recognize the distress these changes have caused. It is clear to me that repealing the budget language to consider all stakeholders of the issue is more than appropriate. "
The Senate is scheduled to meet on July 1 to vote on its bill dealing with the issue. Before then, military families made one last plea to a Senate finance committee work group this afternoon.
In a statement, Governor Glenn Youngkin said: “Thank you to Speaker Scott, Leader Gilbert, Chairman Torian, Delegate Cherry and the entire House of Delegates for unanimously passing a full, clean repeal and reversal of the eligibility changes to VMSDEP.
"Our veterans, first responders, and their families have spoken, and we have heard them. Now it is time for the Senate to pass the bill on Monday, so I can sign it immediately. We must ensure that any potential changes to the program occur transparently in a regular legislative session with input from our valued veterans and their families. On February 12, 2024, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to study VMSDEP before making any changes to it, and on February 13, 2024, the full Senate voted unanimously to pass that bill. Sending HB 6003 to my desk will have the same effect. Between the Preserving VMSDEP Task Force, which includes veterans, military families, senior legislators, administration officials, and higher education leaders, and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Working Group, we have all the right people at the table to continue our work to keep this program sustainable for the future. If the Senate Democrat Leadership does not support a repeal of the language, they are holding our veterans, first responders, and their families, hostage. It is time to do the right thing.”