Higher educational institutions, public; tuition and mandatory fee waivers, survivors of sex crimes. (HB1975)
Introduced By
Del. Nick Rush (R-Christiansburg)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Public institutions of higher education; tuition and mandatory fee waivers; survivors of criminal sexual assault and certain other sex crimes. Declares eligible for counseling at no cost and a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees at any public institution of higher education any individual who, when he was under the age of 18 and a resident of the Commonwealth, became the victim of criminal sexual assault, sex trafficking, or child pornography, as evidenced by the conviction of the perpetrator of such crime. The bill provides that any individual who receives such waiver and counseling shall remain eligible if he maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/11/2021 | Committee |
| 01/11/2021 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100931D |
| 01/11/2021 | Referred to Committee on Education |
| 01/15/2021 | Assigned Education sub: Post-Secondary and Higher Ed |
| 01/20/2021 | Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 2-N) |
| 01/20/2021 | Subcommittee recommends referring to Committee on Appropriations |
| 01/20/2021 | Impact statement from DPB (HB1975) |
| 01/25/2021 | Reported from Education (17-Y 5-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/25/2021 | Referred to Committee on Appropriations |
| 01/25/2021 | Assigned App. sub: Higher Education |
| 01/27/2021 | Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N) |
| 01/27/2021 | Reported from Appropriations (17-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/28/2021 | Read first time |
| 01/29/2021 | Passed by for the day |
| 02/01/2021 | Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to |
| 02/01/2021 | Rereferred to Appropriations |
| 02/05/2021 | Left in Appropriations |
Comments
Public institutions of higher education will be required to waive tuition and mandatory fees. Someone will bear the cost and it will be the recipient's fellow students.
Free tuition to victims of past sexual assault introduces an incentive for unscrupulous individuals to fabricate allegations. Substantial monetary gain for victimhood, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars, will prove enticing. If that seems fanciful, consider this. A minor knows that Virginia Tech charges $55,000 for four years and their family can't afford the cost. Their relationship with a recently divorced parent was strained for all of their teenage years. Is retribution worth $55,000?
...the most common reason as to why a person may claim that they have been raped when they haven’t is so that they can get revenge against someone in their life that they feel has betrayed them.
https://healthresearchfunding.org/8-false-rape-accusation-statistics/
Sure the alleged victim will have to prove their case, but why introduce a monetary incentive to bring the case to begin with?
The bill also introduces actual discriminatory practices, favoring a victim who wants to go to college, disregarding those who find that choice neither wise financially nor a benefit in their career field. How are those victims granted restitution?
Any burden borne in this situation should not be that of the university or the taxpayer.