Veterans and active duty members of the military working their way to a bachelor's degree at a Michigan college or university will be eligible to receive academic credits for some of their military experience, under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Rick Snyder.
"Bridging the gap between military service and civilian life is one way we are constantly striving to do better for our veterans and active duty members of the armed forces," Snyder said. "There are many areas in which military experience overlaps with education taught in college courses, and this new law will help ensure that credit is granted for that knowledge, allowing service members to receive their degree in a shorter period of time so they can embark on their new career."
House Bill 4060, sponsored by state Rep. Holly Hughes, requires collaboration between the American Council on Education Registry of Credit Recommendations and the Department of Defense, identifying where military experience coincides with certain courses so that veterans can receive credit for those courses. The governor last year signed legislation applying these requirements to community colleges.
The bill also requires the schools to inform active duty or veteran applicants of their eligibility to receive the academic credits. It is now Public Act 44 of 2015.
The governor Tuesday also signed eight other bills:
-Senate Bill 221, sponsored by state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, allows Michigan colleges or universities to enter into reciprocity agreements or compacts regarding distance learning with public colleges or universities in other states. It is now PA 45.
-SB 86, sponsored by state Sen. Jack Brandenburg, gives local governments until Dec. 31, 2018, to issue bonds to cover unfunded pension costs if they convert from a defined benefit to a defined contribution plan. Originally, this allowance was scheduled to sunset at the end of 2015. The bill is now PA 46.
-SB 271, sponsored by state Sen. Wayne Schmidt, exempts private functions from liquor laws that ban advertising or selling unlimited amounts of alcohol at a specific price, giving banquet halls and other facilities that host private events the ability to base contracts on package pricing, rather than per-drink pricing. It is now PA 47.
-SB 196, sponsored by state Sen. Tom Casperson, allows insurance companies to collect titles for vehicles at salvage facilities if they have paid out the claim, and allows salvage operators to apply for titles of vehicles they are in physical possession of. It is now PA 48.
-HB 4467 allows prisoners of any security level to be housed at the state's private correctional facility. It is now PA 49.
-HBs 4071 and 4482, along with SB 9, sponsored by Reps. Tom Barrett, Klint Kesto, and Sen. Rick Jones, respectively, mirrors federal guidelines on parental custody agreement modifications for deployed service members. It is supported by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and was approved unanimously by both chambers. They are now PAs 50, 51 and 52.
For additional information on this and other legislation, visit www.legislature.michigan.gov.
Published: Thu, Jun 11, 2015
