Nearly everyone agrees that the General Assembly and the governor botched the budget deal they signed in May, which included changes to a tuition program for spouses and dependents of deceased or severely disabled service members. There is general agreement on how to solve it.
That’s why it’s baffling and frustrating that the Senate failed to deliver on its promise during a brief special session in Richmond on Tuesday. Instead of dragging their feet (or, worse, playing politics with the issue), lawmakers should acknowledge their mistake and quickly correct it.
There is a reasonable expectation that when lawmakers meet in Richmond, whether in a regular or special session, they will present a plan of action. Legislative meetings are run on taxpayer money, so it’s a waste and an insult that they don’t come to the Capitol prepared to work.
That’s what was expected Tuesday, when the Senate met to address issues plaguing the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP), issues lawmakers themselves created last month.
The state budget passed in May included language aimed at curbing the rising cost of that program, which offers college tuition assistance to spouses and dependents of service members killed in combat or severely disabled while in our military.
Universities have absorbed those costs, but as enrollment has grown from fewer than 2,000 students in 2019 to more than 6,000 in 2023, that has become harder to swallow. Tuition waivers totaled $65.3 million last year and are expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed spending $24 million in the state budget to help offset the cost to colleges, and lawmakers adopted sweeping changes to slow their growth, including requiring enrollees to apply for federal financial aid before accessing VMSDEP funds. and limit eligibility to students who are pursuing their studies. first university degree.
While they included a provision for the program changes to take effect for the 2025-26 academic year, meaning all current enrollees would not be affected, both the changes and the timing were criticized by affected students, their families and veteran groups. The opposition was so vehement that legislative leaders and the governor were prompted to consider their options.
The path forward seems relatively simple. The program must remain intact, supported by the state rather than paid for by schools, and must have reasonable guardrails to prevent exponential enrollment growth and ensure its sustainability, such as limiting access to Virginia residents.
The details would have to be determined by a task force, which the governor convened in May once problems with the recently enacted reforms became clear. He met in June and provided a forum where concerned citizens expressed what they want done.
The only thing left was for the legislature to repeal the text enacting those changes and commit to a study that would achieve what everyone wants: a viable VMSDEP that will serve the commonwealth well into the future.
However, when the Senate arrived in Richmond on Tuesday, it took no such action. In fact, they did nothing more than wander around for a few hours before returning home. Some, however, took advantage of the occasion to play politics, which rings hollow when the budget (with the VMSDEP changes) was adopted almost unanimously.
This was the time to act, to take responsibility for a mistake, correct it and move on. But instead, it will likely fall to the House, which convenes next week, to make the first move after the Senate has wasted members’ time and the public’s money.
The fact is, everyone in Richmond owns this, from legislators to the governor, as everyone approved these changes in one form or another. This is not a time to point fingers, but rather an opportunity to demonstrate that those elected to office can be as responsible for their mistakes as they want to be praised for their successes.
This shouldn’t be difficult, but somehow our legislators made it so.
