I am proud my bipartisan bill that improves the National Guard tuition reimbursement grant distribution process was recently signed into law.

The state mission of the 9,600 members of the Wisconsin National Guard is to help civil authorities protect life and property and preserve peace, order and public safety in times of natural or human-caused emergencies.

We owe these brave men and women a tremendous debt, and one of the ways we can repay them is to make it easier for them to seek higher education.

SB 744 makes a procedural change to the state National Guard tuition reimbursement grant program so that students are no longer reimbursed for their tuition following a semester. Instead, the Department of Military Affairs will now pay tuition directly to the educational institution at the beginning of the semester. This significantly reduces the administrative burden on both the Wisconsin National Guard and the Universities of Wisconsin.

With this modification, qualified National Guard service members will avoid the need to take out student loans to cover their education before they are reimbursed. These upfront payments will also minimize the number of students who will have to pay back certain types of federal aid. That is because the National Guard grants can be taken into consideration before financial aid is disbursed to the student.

This is a win-win situation for both sides, and I am glad this commonsense legislation has become state law.