The Texas Tribune by Matthew Watkins and Alana Rocha April 11, 2017
Colleges are asking the state to pare back the state program that offers free tuition to veterans or their children. But key lawmakers in the Texas House don't want to mess with what's being offered to current veterans and their families.
One month into Rep. J.M. Lozano's tenure as chairman of the Texas House's Higher Education Committee, the Republican from Kingsville knew time was running short.
The March 10 deadline to file bills for the 2017 legislative session was a day away, and nothing comprehensive had been submitted to address the spiraling costs of the state program known as Hazlewood, which offers free college tuition to veterans. Colleges had been raising the alarm about the increasingly expensive benefit for years. Pressure was mounting to do something about it.
So Lozano filed House Bill 3766, which would have significantly limited who could qualify for the program. The proposal sparked outrage from Democrats and veterans groups who said it would renege on the state's promise to people who put their lives at risk for their country.
More:
https://www.texastribune.org/2017/04/11/proposed-hazlewood-change-would-leave-benefits-current-veterans-untouc/
