OLYMPIA…Sen. Mike Hewitt introduced a bill today that would allow families of fallen, disabled, captured and missing Washington soldiers to attend a state college or university for free. Today was the first day to introduce bills for the 2007 session.

“I wanted to send a message to our veterans by making this the very first bill I introduced, and doing it on the very first day,” Hewitt said. “We only have to turn on the TV or read the newspaper to see the sacrifices our military families are making every day. The Legislature should step up this session and provide this type of real, tangible security for the people who are putting their lives on the line for us.”

Under Hewitt’s proposal, children and spouses of veterans and National Guard members who are killed, missing in action, taken as prisoners of war or totally disabled in the line of duty would be eligible to attend college tuition-free.

Eligible children would be between the ages of 17 and 26, and they could receive the tuition waiver regardless of marital status. Spouses would qualify up to 10 years after the date of the death, disability, or MIA or POW status as long as they do not remarry. The military member and the affected children and spouse must have been a resident of Washington at the time of the military member’s death, disability or capture.

Funding for the program would come from the state’s general fund, which would reimburse colleges and universities when the waivers were used. The program would be separate from other types of tuition waivers, so veterans’ families would not have to compete with other students who might qualify for different types of programs.

“It’s time to stop talking about honoring our veterans and start showing it in tangible ways,” said Hewitt. “Any family member who would use this tuition waiver has paid the ultimate price, along with their loved one. If we can brighten their future and the future of their family in this way, we ought to do it. I challenge the Legislature to take up this bill and pass it early in the 2007 session.”

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Additional contact: Rebecca Japhet at (360) 786-7516 or Japhet.Rebecca@leg.wa.gov