House Amendments to S.167 Add Military-related Postsecondary Guidance; Bill Passes

The House amended its proposal of amendment to Senate Bill 167, which contains miscellaneous amendments to education law, to add language requiring the Agency of Education to provide guidance to school districts about career and postsecondary training opportunities that explicitly include military-related options. The amendment also asks VSAC to include Vermont National Guard and U.S. Armed Forces options in print and web financial-aid and planning publications.

The Member from Burlington, who offered the amendment on behalf of House Education members, said making all financial-aid options visible to students would remove barriers encountered by the Vermont National Guard in accessing some high schools and would improve transparency about postsecondary opportunities. “All options for financial aid should be made available to students, particularly as military service affords rich opportunities,” the member said. The Member from Cornwall noted unanimous support from the House Education Committee; the Member from Clarendon voiced strong support on the floor.

The House voted to amend its proposal of amendment and then passed S.167 in concurrence with the adopted amendment.

What happens next: With passage in concurrence, the bill moves forward according to legislative procedure; implementation details, including AOE guidance content and VSAC publication changes, will be handled by the respective agencies if and when directed by statute.