During Tuesday’s Higher Education Committee meeting, the Assembly Majority blocked bill A02991 from moving to the Assembly floor for a full vote. The bill, presented by the Assembly Minority, would have provided free tuition expenses at a SUNY or CUNY school to surviving family members of New York state military personnel who have died while performing official military duties.

“Before the Assembly Majority blocked our bill, they referred to this piece of legislation as an entitlement that would cost the state several hundreds of thousands of dollars. They must be forgetting the $27 million our government is willing to spend on the DREAM Act – a bill that allows adults who have entered our country illegally and have lived in New York after just 30 days to attend college on the taxpayer’s dime. The unwillingness of our government to extend the same privileges to the families of fallen military heroes who risked their lives to keep our country safe is upsetting not only to me, but the families it affects,” said Assemblyman Doug Smith (5^th Assembly District), ranking minority member on the Higher Education Committee.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Smith at 631-585-0230 or email him at smithd@nyassembly.gov.