Bill would waive college tuition for some injured veterans

DENVER - The idea seemed simple.

Mothers of veterans were asking Rep. Rafael Gallegos what help was available as their children re-entered civilian life.

The Democrat from Antonito believed the state offered too little support for veterans, so he came up with a proposal to change that: Every veteran wounded in combat would be eligible for a free college education.

But concerns over costs and resistance from colleges and universities have put the bill in jeopardy even as Gallegos has narrowed its scope.

In its initial form, HB1068 would have waived the tuition of any veteran with a Purple Heart or higher decoration. The stipulations were that students must attend a public university in Colorado and must have lived in the state when they earned the medal.

Gallegos said 25 to 30 states have similar programs. Veterans living in Colorado can get benefits from the federal government to pay for college. But as the cost of a college education has soared, state officials say veterans are finding those benefits aren’t enough.

“The GI Bill hasn’t kept pace. It used to be good enough to pay for the Ivy League,” said Bill Conroy, director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs.

The state estimates the average tuition for 2008-09 will be $8,400.

Gallegos estimates 420,000 veterans live in Colorado, but he doesn’t know how many would be eligible. Neither does the government, so the Legislature’s financial analysts can’t estimate how much the program would cost.

What is apparent is that colleges and universities would have to absorb the costs, so their lobbyists tried to defeat the bill.

“I think you all agree we need to kill this bill, and (the Colorado Department of Higher Education) has been happy to take the lead,” Cathy Wanstrath, a lobbyist for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, wrote in an e-mail sent to other lobbyists Feb. 11.

The department has changed its position since the e-mail surfaced. Its director, David Skaggs, met with Gallegos to try to find a compromise. One proposal would give waivers only to veterans who have served since Sept. 11, 2001. Another provision would limit the waivers to veterans who are disabled as a result of their service.

“Now my main objective is to work on it and see if I can get it through,” Gallegos said.

That is an uphill battle. On Friday, the House Appropriations Committee voted to kill the amendment Gallegos worked out with the Department of Higher Education. Committee chairman Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, thinks the bill could still pass.

“Everybody wants to reward properly the people who have served our country,” he said.

Gallegos said he will settle for passing a stripped-down bill this year and try to improve it in years to come.

“We’re at the bottom of the totem pole of states that provide benefits for veterans,” Gallegos said. “When I first came to the Legislature (in 2005), we only provided $0.97 for each per year. That’s a disgrace. We’ve increased that to $1.51 now — that’s not enough.”