SB 25-247: Tuition Waiver & Colorado National Guard Members - Colorado

Revised (04/09/2025) → PA1 (04/01/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change the program from a tuition assistance program to a tuition waiver program, expanding eligible degree types to include bachelor's, associate, and certificate programs. The amendment also establishes specific credit hour limits for two-year and four-year institutions and adds enrollment caps to prevent hardship on designated institutions.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from postgraduate degrees only to include bachelor's, associate, and certificate degrees, while adding new enrollment thresholds and credit hour limits.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed program type from tuition assistance to tuition waiver

Expanded eligible studies to include bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and certificates in addition to postgraduate degrees

REQUIREMENT

Established credit hour limits: 65 hours at two-year institutions, 130 hours at four-year institutions, and 145 hours total if attending both

Added enrollment caps to prevent significant increases in member enrollment that could cause hardship to institutions

TIMELINE

Changed document status from 'Revised' to 'Preamended' indicating committee amendments not yet adopted on second reading

Rerevised (04/10/2025) → Revised (04/09/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to update the versioning header and significantly expand the list of eligible educational institutions for Colorado National Guard members. The most substantive change is the addition of new categories of schools that qualify for enrollment benefits, including area technical colleges and local district colleges, alongside existing institutions like community colleges and the Colorado School of Mines.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include area technical colleges and local district colleges as eligible institutions for Colorado National Guard members to pursue postgraduate degrees.

SCOPE

Added eligibility for area technical colleges and local district colleges to the list of institutions where Colorado National Guard members may pursue postgraduate studies.

DEFINITION

Updated the document header to reflect that this version includes amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House, rather than all amendments adopted in the Second House.

TECHNICAL

Removed the '3rd Reading Unamended' stamp and the April 10, 2025 date from the House section of the document.

Removed several House sponsors from the bill sponsorship list, reducing the number of co-sponsors.

Final Act (04/25/2025) → Rerevised (04/10/2025) · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill was revised to update formatting, add house sponsorship information, and clarify eligibility requirements for the National Guard tuition waiver program. The substantive policy content regarding tuition waivers, credit hour limits, and designated institutions remains largely unchanged from the previous version.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily formatting and clarification of eligibility requirements.

TECHNICAL

Added header information including session details, bill number, and reading dates that were missing from the original version.

Added house sponsorship information listing representatives who sponsored the bill.

Removed the note explaining how to determine if the Governor has signed the bill, as this is typically handled through separate legislative status tracking.

REQUIREMENT

Reorganized eligibility requirements to present them as a bulleted list for clarity, specifying that members must be accepted by an institution, be in good standing with the Colorado National Guard, and complete financial aid applications.

Clarified that institutions must determine if members remain in satisfactory academic standing and must reimburse tuition if members fail to make progress toward degree completion.

DEFINITION

Reorganized the list of designated institutions of higher education for better formatting while maintaining the same 14 institutions.

Signed Act (05/01/2025) → Final Act (04/25/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill primarily involves formatting and structural changes to the legislative document rather than substantive policy modifications. The main differences include adding a note about the bill's signature status, reorganizing the bill's title and sponsor information, and adjusting spacing and capitalization in the statutory text. No significant changes to tuition waiver eligibility, funding amounts, or program requirements were identified in the provided diff.

TECHNICAL

Added a note about bill signature status and legislative history for public reference

Reorganized bill title and sponsor information placement within the document

Adjusted capitalization and spacing in statutory subsections (3)(b)(I)(B) and (3)(b)(II)

Removed explanatory text about how to read the bill markup (capital letters, bold numbers, dashes)

Reengrossed (04/03/2025) → Signed Act (05/01/2025) · 4 edits · May 1, 2025

MODERATE

This bill was amended to add new language clarifying how the tuition waiver program handles enrollment caps and funding distribution when demand exceeds available resources. The changes introduce a mechanism to prevent hardship to institutions by limiting the number of members receiving waivers based on enrollment increases, and establish rules for prorating or suspending the program if funding is insufficient. Additionally, the bill now explicitly requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to determine community college enrollment caps and provide funds to the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education for distribution to community colleges.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include specific procedures for managing enrollment caps and funding distribution across all designated institutions, including community colleges, when the number of eligible members exceeds available resources.

FISCAL

Added requirements for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to determine community college member enrollment caps and provide funds to the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education for distribution to each community college.

Added rules for prorating funding if the difference between calculated tuition for base member enrollment and the annual appropriation is less than 25%, and suspending the program if the difference is more than 25%.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions to prevent hardship to designated institutions by limiting the number of members attending with a tuition waiver based on a 25% increase in enrollment or more than five additional members compared to a base calculation.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to establish criteria for members who attend postgraduate degree programs.

Engrossed (04/02/2025) → Reengrossed (04/03/2025) · 3 edits · Apr 3, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional Senate sponsors and updated the bill summary to reflect that it is now in its third reading unamended version. The substantive text regarding tuition waiver limits for military members attending both two-year and four-year institutions appears to have been removed in this version, though the context suggests this may be a formatting or versioning change rather than a policy shift.

TECHNICAL

Added seven new Senate sponsors (Carson, Catlin, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Kipp, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Weissman) to the bill sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate this is the 'Reengrossed' version with amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, and added a date stamp of April 3, 2025.

Removed lines 13-20 which contained specific text about the 145 credit hour limit for tuition waiver program members attending both two-year and four-year institutions, though this may be a versioning artifact rather than an intentional policy change.

Introduced (03/31/2025) → Engrossed (04/02/2025) · 2 edits · Apr 3, 2025

MINOR

The bill was amended to change the title from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed', indicating it has passed the House and includes all amendments. The substantive text shows a removal of a cap on the number of members who can receive tuition waivers, which previously limited enrollment to either a 25% increase or five additional members compared to a baseline calculation. This change likely expands the program's capacity to serve more Colorado National Guard members.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by removing numerical limits on the number of eligible members who can receive tuition waivers under the program.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the cap limiting the number of tuition waiver recipients to the greater of a 25% enrollment increase or five additional members compared to the baseline calculation.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document header from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' with updated amendment dates, reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process.

Tuition Waiver & Colorado National Guard Members

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