Military & Veterans InTransition News

On Saturday, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 13. AB 13 requires California public colleges to update their admission policies in order to protect veterans from losing their GI Bill benefits while attending college.

Several months ago President Obama signed House of Representatives Bill (H.R.) 3230, a measure that, in part, will require all public institutions of higher learning to grant all GI Bill recipients in-state tuition for any course enrolled in after July 1, 2015 or forfeit all Title 38 funding. AB 13 will request the University of California, California Community Colleges and California State University to come into compliance with the new federal law with the hopes of granting in-state tuition to all persons eligible for Title 38 funding (GI Bill beneficiaries), even if the student is not a current California resident.

This was only possible with the help from the many stakeholders and supporters over the past two years. The real winners here are the veterans who have returned from service and are continuing their education with their earned GI Bill benefits.

“It is wonderful to see the Governor taking veterans into account when signing AB 13. As a veteran, I am grateful for the efforts made by the many supporters of this bill,” said Josh Ghering a member of the Wounded Warrior Battalion/Camp Pendleton.

Our veterans are the best and brightest the United States has to offer. AB 13 is a step in the right direction, as it will encourage our veterans to stay in California and continue contributing to our local communities.

I am grateful to have received a certificate of appreciation from Rosemary Freitas Williams, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy for my sponsorship of Assembly Bill 13.