13 April 2005

Governor signs elements of Kansas Military Bill of Rights into law

As part of her continuing commitment to Kansans in uniform, Governor Kathleen Sebelius yesterday signed two bills to help ensure the well-being of military families.

The first bill is part of the Kansas Military Bill of Rights, announced by the Governor in January. It grants tuition waivers to dependents of those who die in military service or are declared POW/MIA. These waivers can be used at any public university, community college, or vo-tech school in Kansas.

“Our servicemen and women willingly make sacrifices when they serve. If they make the ultimate sacrifice, we owe it to them to take care of their families. Making sure that their spouses and children have an opportunity to get a good education is one way to help them directly,” Governor Sebelius said.

HB 2072 creates a tuition and fee waiver for dependents and spouses of Kansas military personnel who die as a result of military service or who are declared POW/MIA, retroactive to September 11, 2001. It also grants the same waiver to any Kansas resident who became a prisoner of war after January 1, 1960. These waivers are available for ten semesters at any public institution of higher education in the state.

In addition, the bill requires the Kansas Board of Regents to grant resident fee status to dependents and spouses of military personnel who are reassigned to a duty station out of Kansas while the dependent or spouse remains in Kansas and attends school. This additional element of the Governor’s Military Bill of Rights will ensure that dependents aren’t penalized because the military reassigns a service member.

The second bill, SB 103, enables military personnel and their families to reenter their previous insurance plans without penalty.

“When members of the guard or reserves are activated, they become eligible for federal health insurance. We want to guarantee that they and their families can retain their original health insurance when their tour of duty is over. They shouldn’t be penalized because they were called upon to defend our country,” the Governor said.

SB 103 mandates that a Kansas resident activated for military service, along with his or her spouse and dependents, who becomes eligible for a federal government health insurance program due to this activation, not be denied reinstatement into the same individual coverage with the same health plan that the resident previously held, but had lapsed because of activation or coverage by a federal program.