About 300 Indiana residents may soon receive full tuition to any state school.
House Bill 1249, introduced by Rep. Sheila Klinker, allows Indiana residents who entered active military duty after Sept. 10, 2001, received the Purple Heart and suffered a service-connected disability to attend a state school tuition-free, according to the Indiana General Assembly Web site.
Klinker said she couldn't believe such a law wasn't already in place.
"It is not right to give the child of a Purple Heart recipient an opportunity for a college education while denying a Purple Heart recipient the chance for further schooling," Klinker said.
The Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs currently provides for Purple Heart recipients' children to receive tuition remittance, or free tuition. Coverage applies to provisions such as undergraduate or graduate studies and up to 124 credit-hours.
Robert Zellers, director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, said the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana, or SSACI, would fund the bill.
Zellers did not know how many Ball State University students would be affected by this bill, he said.
SSACI also funds the Frank O'Bannon Grant and Twenty-First Century Scholars Programs, according to the commission's Web site.
Rep. Klinker said the House's committee on Veterans' Affairs and Public Safety, which proposed the bill, would work to appropriate funds to cover the program.
If the House and the Senate pass the bill, eligible Indiana veterans could apply for remittance starting in July, Klinker said.
Lt. Col. Lee Baker, chairman of Ball State's military science department, called the bill an outstanding piece of legislation.
"What a way to honor the soldiers and citizens of the state of Indiana who have fought in the global war on terrorism, and who have unfortunately received a disability," he said.
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