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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Since World War I, Texas has supported veterans by |
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providing educational benefits to ease the transition to civilian |
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life; and |
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WHEREAS, Under the Hazlewood Act of 1919, the state exempts |
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veterans from paying tuition and mandatory fees at public |
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institutions of higher education; the legislature in 2009 began |
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permitting veterans to give their children up to 150 semester hours |
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of their own unused Hazlewood benefits, and today, two-thirds of |
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all Hazlewood benefits are paid to the children of veterans; and |
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WHEREAS, Since 2009, the cost of Hazlewood benefits to |
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universities and community colleges has skyrocketed, rising from |
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nearly $25 million to more than $169 million in 2014; the program, |
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as currently configured, is projected to cost more than $286 |
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million by 2017; moreover, a recent federal court ruling on the |
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program's residency requirements, now under appeal, potentially |
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opens the program to veterans and their children from across the |
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entire country; the Texas Veterans Commission estimates that the |
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cost could exceed $2 billion under that scenario; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is committed to supporting the |
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men and women who have served our country in the United States |
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military, but the rising costs of Hazlewood Act benefits are a |
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source of deep concern; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby request the speaker of the house to create a |
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select interim committee to examine the Hazlewood Act program; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee examine the evolution of the |
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program from its inception, as well as the associated current costs |
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for both veterans and their children to institutions of higher |
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education; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee be made up of 11 members of the |
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house and that it submit a full report, including findings and |
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recommendations for legislation, to the House of Representatives of |
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the 85th Texas Legislature when it convenes in January 2017. |