Vets get in-state tuition break

View a copy of Senate Bill 136 that establishes in-state tuition for military veterans and their dependents  

By Steve Ramirez

LAS CRUCES — Military veterans and their families will be able to save a little money on college tuition or to attend a vocational school in the state, even if they don’t live in New Mexico.

A bill that establishes in-state tuition rates for veterans, regardless of where they live, will go into effect on August 1, just in time for the start of the 2010 school year. The legislation was approved by both the state Senate and House of Representatives by a combined vote of 104-0.

"I’m proud of this tremendous bipartisan effort from our state legislators," Gov. Bill Richardson said. "Signing this bill into law is a way of thanking our veterans for their service to our country, and thanking their families for their sacrifice when sending a spouse or parent to war."

Raymond Harper, a retired Army veteran, said the new law will have an effect on soldiers’ decisions of where they will retire.

"A lot of active duty soldiers will probably consider something like this when they decide to get out," said Harper, who now lives in Oklahoma City, but was stationed for two years at White Sands Missile Range. "I left (New Mexico) because I was from Oklahoma and that’s where I had to go to qualify for in-state tuition. I liked being in New Mexico and would’ve stayed there. But I knew I was going to go to college after I got out of the Army, and I would have had to then go through all that stuff of establishing residency in New Mexico to get their tuition."

"Without that, it would’ve cost me at least $900 more a semester to stay there because I would’ve had to pay out-of-state tuition," Harper said.

Any veteran of the U.S. armed forces will be able to pay the same tuition as people who have established residency in New Mexico. Tuition rates for in-state residents are notably less than what people who live outside of the state would pay.

Tuition rates vary among state universities and trade schools. There are more than 100 certified institutions across the state where veterans will be able to use their federal G.I. education benefit.

"This is a "win-win’ situation," said state Veterans Affairs Secretary John Garcia. "Veterans and their dependents can attend our fine educational institutions, and the state can be the beneficiary of a G.I. benefit which could be worth up to $30,000 apiece, depending on where they choose to attend."

Ray Seva, spokesman for the state Department of Veteran Affairs, said the intent of the bill was to help make New Mexico become a destination state for veterans who want to pursue higher education.

Carla Murillo, a Las Cruces homemaker who served in Vietnam, said she intends to use the new benefit as soon as possible.

"I’ve raised my kids and now I’d like the chance to go back to school and do something more," Murillo said. "I’ll use this to enroll at (Doña Ana Community College) in the fall. If I would’ve had something like this, say, two or three years ago, I probably would’ve been real close to some kind of degree or vocation. As a veteran, so many get out of the service and can’t find a job doing what they were trained to do. In my case, that was true because I was a mechanic. Obviously, I couldn’t do anything like that once I got pregnant with my first child, but I might have kept working after the baby if I would have known how to do something else."

Steve Ramirez can be reached at [email protected]; (575) 541-5452