FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wyss: Purple Heart recipients may get free tuition
(STATEHOUSE)- Hoosiers who served in the military after the 9/11 terror attacks and awarded the Purple Heart could get a free education at state institutions if a bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Wyss (R-Fort Wayne) becomes law.
“Purple Heart recipients have given of themselves in order to serve our state and our country, and this measure recognizes their sacrifices by giving them a break on receiving a quality education,” Wyss said.
Wyss said the Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs Senate committee voted 9-0 today in favor of House Bill 1249, which now goes to the full Senate for further consideration.
Under Indiana law, a child of a Purple Heart recipient—but not the recipients themselves—are entitled to tuition remission. Wyss said this discrepancy should be fixed in order to provide those awarded Hoosiers with a fair chance for a quality education.
Purple Heart awards are given to soldiers wounded in combat and about 261 Hoosiers have received the award since Sept. 10, 2001. The Purple Heart – formerly known as the Badge of Military Merit by General George Washington – was the first American award available to the common soldier and now the world’s oldest military decoration in use.
“While the cost of tuition is increasing, the demand for college graduates in the workforce is also rising,” Wyss said. “These soldiers deserve every opportunity in which they can better their lives, and a college education is a tool that can help them achieve this goal.”
Sen. Wyss represents Senate District 15, which includes a portion of Allen County.
-30- |
