JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
Missouri combat veterans will be eligible for a college tuition break.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has signed legislation that caps tuition at $50 per credit hour for Missourians who have served in combat since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It applies only to public colleges and universities.
To be eligible, a veteran will need to keep a 2.5 grade-point average. The reduced tuition expires 10 years after a military discharge.
Tuition at Missouri’s colleges and universities varies. For example, according to a cost estimate prepared during the most recent legislative session, Linn State Technical College reports that it charges about $150 per credit hour. Missouri State University charges about $186 per credit hour.
The legislation also allows state schools that have to offer discounted tuition to military veterans to seek state reimbursement. But a college cannot deny a combat veteran lower tuition if lawmakers decide not to reimburse the school for lost revenue.
Kinder also signed legislation that requires flags above state property to be flown at half-staff for a day when a Missouri soldier is killed. It will be up to the state Veterans Commission to alert the governor when a Missouri resident who is a member of the military is killed.
Both bills will take effect Aug. 28.
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