The Arizona Immigration Legislation has cast a long shadow over the working of our State. It’s merit will most likely find its own level. Since its enactment, I detect nothing in the MSM about the passing of the following very fine piece of legislation that is only being spoken of in small group conversations. Very few Veterans know of its passing. I guess it is just not sensational enough to garner attention.
The journalistic cliche marches on, “you cannot tell a story about- there was no plane wreck today.” Veterans affairs frequently fall into that column. Lip service on Holidays and then 360 days of dreary news.
I want to say thanks one last time for the effort and the assertiveness it took to get this bill passed. These college educated veterans are the ones who will be leading us out of the morass created by decades of political narcissism and phony polarities. They did not fight for that!
The following is the presentation made by David Alegria to the Arizona House of Representatives.
Arizona House Bill 2350 Purple Heart; Tuition Waiver Becomes Law
April 23, 2010
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed historic legislation granting tuition waivers to Veterans who
were awarded the Purple Heart Medal, are 50% or more disabled, were residents of Arizona or
stationed in Arizona when they were wounded, and are otherwise qualified to attend a State
Community College or University.
The passage of House bill 2350 is historic because this is the first bill that has been passed by the
Arizona State Legislature that provides a State benefit specific to Combat Wounded Veterans.
While every politician finds it politically correct to proclaim support for the military soldier and for
veterans’ issues, the Governor and the Arizona State Legislature bellied up to the table and showed
their support in a concrete manner. The law now requires all State Community Colleges and
Universities to waive the tuition for all veterans meeting the criteria of this law.
In the forefront of this historic event was State Senator Frank Antenori. Senator Antenori introduced
the legislation as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives prior to his appointment to the
Arizona State Senate. Senator Antenori is a Gulf War Veteran and the leading advocate in the
Arizona Legislature for issues affecting members of the military and veterans. Military Order of the
Purple Heart Commander of the Tucson Chapter, David Alegria was the lone member of veterans
organization providing testimony before the House Education Committee and the Senate Committee
on Veterans and Military Affairs. There was not one vote cast by any legislator against this bill
during the committee hearings and roll call votes in both Chambers of the Arizona State Legislature.
Governor Jan Brewer, a staunch supporter of veterans issues, signed the bill into law without
reservation.
The passage of House Bill 2350 is important for a number of reasons:
• Combat Wounded Veterans are having a difficult time collecting on the much promised
education benefits of the NEW G.!. Bill. The Veterans Administration says it is doing
the best it can, but processing problems still remain. Some of these veterans have
mobility issues due to their injuries and find it difficult to chase after the VA. Others,
just don’t want to take up another fight. Most of these veterans are part-time patients,
spending most of their free time at the veterans administration hospital clinics.
• Combat Wounded Veterans having difficult financial hardships will use the proceeds of
the NEW G.1. Bill to help house and feed their families. They then pay for their
education by taking out student loans.
• The NEW G.1. Bill permits veterans to transfer their education benefit to one of their
dependents. So far, 100,000 veterans have transferred their G.I Bill education benefits
to dependents. These wounded warriors are still looking out for others before
themselves.
Our student veterans deserve this benefit and the State of Arizona has stepped up and provided the
necessary assistance. All of these veterans already paid for this benefit with their blood in some far
off land.
House Bill 2350: Purple Heart; Tuition Waiver
Tucson Citizen Article by Blogger/Writer Mike Brewer
I’ll say it again – I support this bill but I think your enthusiasm for Sen. Antenori is misplaced. This is yet another unfunded mandate that scores ideological points with people but didn’t actually allocate money to pay for the veteran’s tuition. Part of being a responsible, fiscal conservative means that you balance your checkbook and look at the financial impact to ALL people (including the vast majority of vets attending AZ schools).
There is a lot of irony in the fact that Sen. Antenori voted against university and K-12 funding 100% of the time in 2009. 100%. While he has been very good about defending our US Constitutional arms rights, he has handily ignored our Arizona Constitutional mandates to our public K-12 schools and universities. As a fiscal conservative, I question how he can be advocating for bills that provide free tuition while undercutting hundreds of millions of dollars away from our state universities.
Glen Kerslake, President of the DM-50, Lawrence Portouw, President of the Fort Huachuca 50 and Steve Yamas, Executive Director of Fighter Country Partnership wrote a letter in May 2009 stating that they “strongly encourage (the state government) to resist calls for further cuts to education spending…” They remarked that “Holding the line on education spending is an investment in Arizona’s and America’s future”, and pointed out that Arizona’s low per-capita education spending statistics put our bases at risk for closure.
Since that letter was written, Arizona’s legislature cut millions more from our schools. These cuts impact all of the families currently serving on our Southern Arizona bases and to the soldiers already attending our universities. Ft. Huachuca also announced that Jan that 488 jobs will be eliminated there in 2010. Rumor has it that BRAC is considering further reductions in Southern Arizona, in part because of the difficulties they are having finding enough skilled, educated employees and the hesitation military families are showing due to the reputation of our schools and support for education.
I was supportive of Senator Antenori during the last election, but his words have not matched his actions when it comes to supporting the economy of our area. I can see where he is a great guy personally, but that doesn’t always equate to making good choices for the future of our state.
This would not exactly be an unfunded mandate. Waivers are not a transfer of cash. The point being that part time employees and their dependents already get the same benefits.
I do indeed follow your logic and concerns about Antenori- yet that still does not subtract from the merit of this bill that was 4o years in the waiting.
I don’t know Mr. Antenori personally but it seems the height of hypocrisy to pass a tuition waiver for the universities to fund in the same legislative cycle as passing a budget that cut hundreds of millions of dollars from those universities budgets. As citizens, we owe a huge debt to our veterans and I would certainly be willing to pay increased taxes to create meaningful benefits for them.
Good job Frank
Hypocrisy would be for Veterans of War to violate their oath to defend the commenters at this post. Which never happens here.