FISCAL NOTE

Senate Bill 216 as introduced amends the Alabama National Guard Education Assistance Program (ANGEAP) to clarify that: (1) ANGEAP funds may be used to pay the costs of tuition and fees of active members of the Alabama National Guard while enrolled in a high school dual enrollment program at a community or technical college; and (2) payments under the ANGEAP shall not exceed 100% of qualified tuition and fees. This bill further provides that payments to private institutions of higher education shall not exceed the tuition and fee rates for the state-supported public institution with the highest tuition and instructional fee rates that education benefits shall be applied in a manner to maximize all of a member's education assistance benefits. These provisions would increase the obligations of the Education Trust Fund, by an undetermined amount, dependent on the number of Alabama National Guard members that seek tuition reimbursement for attending a private institution of higher education in the state under the expanded provisions of this bill and the extent to which ANGEAP funds would be used to maximize all of a member's education assistance benefit.

In addition, this bill provides that any Alabama National Guard member that is disqualified from serving due solely to medical reasons with a Veteran's Administration disability rating of at least 40% is exempt from repaying ANGEAP benefits, which could decrease the obligations of the program by an undetermined amount dependent upon the number of disqualified members exempt from repaying benefits without a disability rating.