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After facing backlash from military families, Virginia lawmakers have reached a deal to save a program that waives college tuition for qualifying military spouses and families. The popular program had been gutted in the state budget, angering many families who relied on it. Democratic leaders in the Virginia House and Senate worked together to announce a deal to keep the program alive, allocating about $90 million over the next two years to fund the tuition waivers with taxpayer dollars.

Governor Glenn Youngkin, who initially proposed restrictions on the program at the beginning of the session, has now expressed full support for it. Some Republican lawmakers blamed Senate Democrats for failing to address the program’s issues earlier in the session. Senator Glen Sturtevant acknowledged that a mistake was made in gutting the program and emphasized the need for a full repeal and fix.

Senator Louise Lucas, who had faced criticism for not addressing the program’s issues earlier, announced the deal between the House and Senate on the VMSDEP program. Governor Youngkin’s Press Secretary Christian Martinez expressed gratitude to the lawmakers involved in the commitment to fully repealing the changes to the program. The agreement has brought relief to military families in Virginia who depend on the tuition program, highlighting the importance of bipartisan cooperation in addressing crucial issues affecting military families.

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Photo credit wjla.com