On Monday, New York state Senator John Brooks introduced a bill similar to the one held in the Assembly that would provide free college tuition to Gold Star families. But the new bill added a stipulation that it wouldn’t take effect until 2020, which the sponsor considered a key detail to ensuring its passage.
Given that the holding of the bill came after New York approved a budget with $27 million allocated to support the Jose Peralta New York State Dream Act, which offers financial aid to undocumented immigrants, Hawley told Newsweek it sent a message about the state’s priorities. Brooks, however, told Newsweek that it wasn’t a matter of the state’s priorities, it was a matter of the budget already having been set.
An honor guard moves the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Tech Sergeant Charles Johnston to his burial site at Arlington National Cemetery March 2, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. On Monday, New York state Senator John Brooks introduced a new bill offering free tuition to Gold Star families. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Brooks added that America owes a “great debt of gratitude” to anyone who served in the military, regardless of whether it was in a combat zone or not. Since many service members are the primary breadwinners in their households, the state senator said a loss of life clouds the financial future of their children.