Today, Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R,C,I-Medford) called out Assembly Majority for blocking a bill (A.2991) that would provide free college tuition to family members of New York state military personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. DeStefano sponsors the bill that would require the surviving dependent family members to attend a SUNY or CUNY institution where they would receive free tuition and room and board. Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, Chairwoman of the Higher Education Committee, called the proposal “an entitlement” and “costly.” The estimated cost for the bill would be only a fraction of the cost of providing taxpayer-funded tuition assistance to illegal residents, which the Assembly Majority passed this year.

“Once again, the Assembly Majority mantra of providing opportunities to all is contradicted by their blocking of this bill,” said DeStefano. “State Majority has continuously pushed for and passed free college tuition for illegal immigrants, and their failure to support the same measures for military families who have made countless sacrifices for our country and our freedoms is incomprehensible. There is no plausible reason their family members should be denied access to scholarships to continue their education.”