Governor Kaine Signs Legislation Granting In-State Tuition to Military Families
– Signs bills establishing family support fund, “Support Our Troops” License Plate –

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today ceremonially signed several General Assembly bills providing support and assistance to families of military men and women, demonstrating Virginia’s bipartisan support for active duty military, National Guard, and Reserve families.

The legislation signed today includes measures that provide in-state college tuition rates for children of military personnel stationed in Virginia, create a Virginia Military Family Relief Fund, authorizes a “Support Our Troops” Virginia license plate, and shift administrative responsibility for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services from the Secretary of Administration to the Secretary of Public Safety.

“Virginia is honored to be the home of 122,000 active-duty military personnel, and almost three-quarters of a million veterans and their families,” Governor Kaine said. “These are our family, friends, neighbors, customers, and co-workers.  We salute their service, and look for opportunities like today to thank them for their service -- and to tangibly demonstrate that we are sensitive to the challenges that their military service can present for their families.”

The Governor was joined at today’s ceremonial bill-signing by several active-duty, Guard and Reserve personnel and their families, the bipartisan General Assembly sponsors of the legislation, and by U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Leslye Arsht.

The following legislation was signed today:

• House Bill 695 (Suit) and Senate Bill 121 (O’Brien) – In-State Tuition – provides in-state tuition rates for dependents of military personnel stationed in the Commonwealth.  These bills, which were recommended by the Virginia Military Advisory Council, could potentially benefit an estimated 3,500 students. 
• House Bill 240 (Suit) – Relocated K-12 Students Stay Tuition Free – allows the children of active-duty military members who are ordered to relocate to a new school district to continue attending the school they attended immediately prior to the relocation, tuition-free. 
• House Bill 628 (Johnson) and Senate Bill 139 (O’Brien) – Virginia Military Family Relief Fund – creates the Virginia Military Family Relief Fund, which will provide financial assistance to the families of Guard and Reserve members who are deployed.  At present, 22 other states have established similar funds to provide financial assistance to the families of Guard and Reserve members.  These bills were recommendations of the Virginia Citizen-Soldier Support Council. In addition, all Virginians will soon have the opportunity to contribute to the Fund through a check off on their income tax forms. 
• House Bill 1413 (Hargrove) – Veterans Move to Public Safety – codifies the movement of the Department of Veterans Services to the Public Safety secretariat. 
• Senate Bill 359 (Edwards) and House Bill 1465 (Dudley) – Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery – allows the Commonwealth to accept property donated for the purpose of constructing a new veterans cemetery in Southwest Virginia in the Dublin area. 
• Senate Bill 617 (Mims) – “Support Our Troops” license plate – establishes the “Support Our Troops” license plate. Support Our Troops, Inc. expects to have these license plates available in at least 30 states by the end of this summer. Support Our Troops, Inc. is a national non-profit organization which raises funds to provide financial assistance to soldiers’ survivors and families to meet medical or household expenses.

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