Senate, House agree on Florida National Guard education funding
Image via AP.
The funding comes as the Legislature pinches pennies amid the pandemic.
The Senate on Monday embraced a House budget position that will provide more funds for education benefits for Florida National Guard troops.
The tuition benefit, Educational Dollars for Duty, covers tuition expenses for qualified soldiers and airmen pursuing a post-secondary education.
The program operates on a $3.1 million annual recurring appropriation. In
2020, it received an additional $1.1 million non-recurring appropriation, raising the total to $4.2 million.
This year, however, the Senate and House
negotiated over the additional $1 million appropriation, ultimately deciding to go ahead with the additional funds.
Florida National Guard education benefits hang in balance of budget talks
Image via AP.
The budget talks come after Florida National Guardsmen operated at a historic tempo in 2020.
The education benefits promised to Florida National guardsmen will hang in the balance this week as the House and Senate resume state budget negotiations on Monday.
More than 1,800 Florida Guardsmen utilized tuition assistance in 2020 under the Educational Dollars for Duty Program (EDD). The program covers tuition expenses for qualified soldiers and airmen pursuing a post-secondary education.
However, the flagship benefit remains up in the air for some service members amid ongoing budget talks.
Do we need a Space National Guard? Colorado says yes, but Congress is not so sure. 1 hour ago Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, then the adjutant general for the Colorado National Guard, talks with reporters at a roundtable discussion about the National Guard s role in the newly formed Space Force at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2020. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Erich B. Smith) The Colorado House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Friday that lays the legal framework for the state to establish the Colorado Space National Guard. But before any Coloradans head to the recruiting station, they should know there’s a catch the U.S. Congress has to authorize a Space National Guard first.
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