Scott Signs Florida GI Bill

April 1, 2014

Flanked by military veterans, members of the Florida National Guard and lawmakers, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law on Monday the “Florida GI Bill,” modeled after the World War II-era program and intended to make Florida the most military-friendly state in the nation.

The wide-ranging measure (HB 7015), rushed through the Legislature the first week of session as a priority of House and Senate leadership, provides university tuition waivers for veterans, pays for military and guard base improvements, is expected to help increase employment opportunities for veterans and allocates $1 million a year to sell the state to veterans.

Andrew Sloan, a Georgia native who spent six years in the U.S. Air Force and has been lobbying lawmakers since September on behalf of student veterans, said the bill will draw other veterans to Florida’s universities.

“We served our nation and we only ask for that which we earned, by virtue of our service, (to) be there when we get home,” said Sloan, who is now a political science and German double-major attending Florida State University.

Scott tied his own experiences when leaving the U.S. Navy to wanting to support veterans and active duty service members.

“I remember when I got out of the Navy back in the early ’70s, it was not a good time to get out of the service in this country,” Scott said after the signing ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Panama City. “Our veterans were not respected; it was a tough time. We’re going to make sure that is this is the most military-friendly state for active-duty members, but also for all the veterans.”

According to the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the state currently houses 1.5 million veterans, of which nearly one-third are from the Vietnam era and 231,000 served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Florida’s nursing home population includes nearly 114,000 World War II-era veterans and more than 178,000 veterans of the Korean conflict.

House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz crafted the package during a statewide “listening” tour last summer.

Weatherford called the legislation “the most important bill that we’ll pass this legislative session.”

The package, expected to cost more than $30 million in its first year, includes an anticipated $12.5 million for ongoing upgrades of the state’s National Guard facilities and $7.5 million to purchase a total of 45 acres of buffer lands around MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville and Naval Support Activity Panama City.

The proposal also requires Visit Florida to spend $1 million a year on marketing aimed at veterans, and allocate another $300,000 to a new nonprofit corporation, Florida Is For Veterans, Inc. The nonprofit, to be housed within the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, would be used to encourage veterans to move to Florida, and promote the hiring of veterans.

Meanwhile, state universities and colleges are expected to take an $11.7 million hit in waivers for out-of-state tuition charges for all honorably discharged veterans, a proposal named the “Congressman C.W. Bill Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Act” after the late Pinellas County lawmaker who served more than four decades in Congress before his death last year.

Because in-state tuition, covered by the federal GI Bill, is thousands of dollars cheaper than out-of-state rates, lawmakers hope the new waivers encourage veterans from outside of the state to apply to Florida schools.

To assist families of active-duty service members, the bill also waives the requirement for spouses and dependents to get a Florida driver license if they get a job or enroll in a public school.

by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida

Pictured top: Monday, Gov. Rick Scott was joined by Senate President Don Gaetz, Speaker of the House Will Weatherford, Rep. Marti Coley, Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Jimmie Smith, Rep. Jimmy Patronis and Rep. Doc Renuart to sign House Bill 7015 which creates the “Congressman C.W. Bill Young Tuition Waiver Program,” that waives out-of-state tuition fees for honorably discharged veterans. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

2 Responses to “Scott Signs Florida GI Bill”

  1. randy lucas on April 3rd, 2014 9:19 am

    I think this is great for Florida. Most of the other vets in this area that I know arent taking advantage of the educational opportunities being offered right now.Maybe this will encourage other VETS to to do so.Thank You very much Florida.

  2. john on April 1st, 2014 6:34 am

    It all sounded good at first until I got to the part where we the tax payers are going to pay 7.5 million for a paltry 45 acres.

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