Assemblyman Al Graf (second right from podium) attends a press conference in support of the Commitment to Military Education Act.
Assemblyman Al Graf (R,C,I-Holbrook) has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Commitment to Military Education Act. The bill proposes tuition reductions for servicemen and women attending SUNY and CUNY schools who are facing the suspension of their tuition assistance from the military due to sequester-mandated cuts.
“Our servicemen and women were promised tuition assistance when they enlisted in the military, and a promise made to our veterans must be a promise kept,” said Graf. “Partisan politics may be gripping Washington, but we cannot allow such problems to get in the way of our obligations to our veterans here in New York. I commend the bipartisan group of legislators supporting this bill for putting politics aside in an effort to support our troops, a duty that cannot and will not be taken lightly.”
The Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard have announced that they will be suspending tuition assistance programs for active duty and reserve personnel. Those currently enrolled will not receive tuition assistance for future classes. This bill would honor the promise our country made to our servicemen and women and allow those already enrolled in SUNY or CUNY schools to finish their degrees with tuition reductions matching the missing federal assistance.