Bill > SB659

This bill amends Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 350.285 to clarify and strengthen tuition waiver provisions for children, spouses, and surviving spouses of service members and Purple Heart recipients attending eligible post-secondary institutions in Oregon. The bill defines key terms such as "qualified student" (which includes children, spouses, and unremarried surviving spouses of service members or Purple Heart recipients), "service member" (those who died on active duty, died from a service-connected disability, or are 100% disabled), and "eligible post-secondary institution" (public universities and Oregon Health and Science University). The legislation allows tuition waivers for baccalaureate and master's degree programs, with maximum credit hours equivalent to four years for a bachelor's degree and two years for a master's degree. Importantly, the bill explicitly prohibits reducing the tuition waiver amount by other forms of financial aid, including federal scholarships, grants, Oregon Opportunity Grants, institutional aid, and Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance. A child applying for the waiver must be 23 or younger, with a limited exception allowing older students to receive a master's degree waiver if they received a bachelor's degree waiver when they were 23 or younger and apply within 12 months of graduating.

Education

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB659