LANSING – State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) today threw his support behind legislation to provide tuition support for Michigan veterans, their families and the families of first-responders killed in the line of duty.
"Our brave soldiers and first-responders go above and beyond the call of duty to protect our way of life here in northern Michigan," Sheltrown said. "Many have lost their lives in the line of duty, many others have become permanently disabled. We must honor their service and sacrifice by providing for them and their families."
The four-bill package will:
- provide a full tuition waiver for children of first-responders killed in the line of duty;
- provide up to $2,500 in tuition waivers for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan;
- stabilize tuition funding for children of disabled veterans or those killed in the line of duty;
- increase tuition for children of disabled veterans or those killed in the line of duty so that it is fully funded at any public Michigan university.
"The members of our military and first-response teams know the risks when they sign up for duty, and they sign up anyway," said Sheltrown, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War. "They take care of us, and now it's time for us to take care of them and their families. This legislation will help us do that."