Virginia lawmakers have agreed to repeal new restrictions on a program providing free college tuition at state schools for families of veterans killed or seriously disabled during active duty.

Louise Lucas, chairwoman of the state Senate Finance Committee, and Luke Torian, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, announced they plan to introduce legislation to repeal changes to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program in the two-year budget that took effect Monday. 

On July 18, members of the Senate and House will vote on this agreement.

In addition to the initial $40 million included in the state’s budget, the proposed legislation will allocate an extra $90 million in taxpayer funds to cover the program. Over the last five years, the program’s costs have increased from $12 million to $65 million. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) celebrated the development Tuesday after working hard to make sure the program was funded.

“A full, clean repeal with additional financial support for the VMSDEP program, unencumbered by any other provisions, is great news for our military heroes, first responders, and their families,” Youngkin posted on X.

The program will allocate $65 million annually, with studies conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

“This study and the allocation of what now will be $65 million per year for the program provides me with the comfort that we will not place the burden of the escalating cost of the program on other students through their tuition charges,” Lucas said in a statement.

In May, the Virginia General Assembly passed a budget deal that sought to address the program’s increasing costs. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

They restricted eligibility to associate and undergraduate degrees, mandated applicants to seek other forms of financial aid, and tightened residency requirements.

Following protests from military families, the state House of Delegates voted last week to repeal these restrictions, but the Senate did not take any action despite meeting to discuss the issue twice in two weeks.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed the state’s new $297.9 billion budget over the weekend, allocating $12 million for reparations bills.

State Sen. Steven Bradford, a Democrat, said California “bears great responsibility” for the past.

“We often say the budget is a reflection of our values and our priorities, so the fact that there’s any money for reparations should be a reason for celebrating,” Bradford said.

California lawmakers opted not to implement widespread payments to descendants of enslaved black people, following recommendations from the reparations task force on addressing discrimination.

Instead, they are considering issuing an apology for the state’s discrimination against the black community and identifying black families who had their homes unfairly seized through eminent domain.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said that “$12 million is not nearly enough.”

There is also the possibility of creating an agency to administer these reparations, with an estimated annual operational cost ranging from $3 million to $5 million, according to an estimate from the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

In addition, lawmakers decided against legislation for free college tuition at public institutions for descendants of enslaved black people, along with housing and property tax assistance.

Newsom’s approval of the reparations budget drew criticism, especially from Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher.

“Slavery was a stain on our nation’s history, but I don’t believe it’s fair to try to right the wrongs of the past at the expense of the people today who did nothing wrong,” Gallagher said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“More than a quarter of Californians are immigrants — how can we look at those people, who are struggling as it is, and say it’s on them to make up for something that happened more than 150 years ago?” Gallagher said.

These reparations mean “they’re taking accountability and responsibility, and they’re acknowledging the harms and the atrocities to this particular population,” said Kamilah Moore, chairwoman of the reparations task force. “That’s a huge step that should not be overlooked.”