S125 - Various Changes to Education. (SL 2018-37)

Overview: S.L. 2018-37, Sec. 2 changes the definition of "child" for certain scholarships awarded to children of veterans. Various classes of scholarships are provided by the State to children of veterans who meet specific criteria. Two classes of these scholarships (Class II and Class III) are limited to no more than 100 children yearly. Part II expands the definition of "child" for purposes of qualifying for Class II and Class III scholarships to align with the federal definition of "child" used for determination of Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, as follows:

• A stepchild of the member. This does not include a stepchild after the divorce of the member from the stepchild’s parent by blood.
• An adopted child of the member, including a child placed in the home of the member by a placement agency (recognized by the Secretary of Defense) in anticipation of the legal adoption of the child by the member.
• An illegitimate child of the member if the member’s parentage of the child is established in accordance with criteria prescribed in regulations by the Secretary of the relevant service branch.

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs must document the number of applicants who apply for Class II and Class III scholarships, including the total number of applications received and total number of applications made eligible as a result of this Part and report on this information to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government by March 30, 2019.

This section became effective June 22, 2018.