Two bills related to the University of Wyoming (UW) made moves through the Legislature this week. One would create a student loan repayment program for veterans who provide mental health care to other vets in the state. The other is related to the Hathaway Scholarship.
Both passed their second readings on the floor of their respective chambers on the morning of Jan. 29.
SF 30 - Veterans mental health
SF 30 is titled “Wyoming's investment in veteran's mental health” and would reimburse the student loans of any vet getting a mental health-related masters in social work or counseling or a PhD in psychology from UW. Those graduates would need to spend at least 25% of their time working with Wyoming vets to qualify for the program.
Bill Winnie lives in Sublette County and spent 30 years in the Navy. In a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting on Jan. 27, he said transitioning from the “fundamentally different” worlds of active duty to civilian life can be difficult.
“Some will turn that quandary they face inward, and they become your suicides or your alcohol and drug problems, and some turn it outward,” he said. “ They become perhaps even in the criminal world and therefore in front of the judiciary, so how do you intercept that?”
Winnie shared that he attended some veteran-veteran sessions and said having more of those types of mental health care providers could help others grapple with that transition.
“ There is always a few bills, perhaps a very few bills, that ought to be funded or fully funded. And I think this is one of those,” he said.
The program would cover the full cost of attendance at the university, including room and board. Anyone participating in the program would also be required to work in Wyoming for three additional years after repaying their loan.
Major General Greg Porter is the state’s Adjutant General and emphasized that the goal of the program is to get more mental health providers on the ground.
“ Oftentimes we find, particularly in our low-population areas, that we don't have all the services that veterans would require. And we're really trying to drive down the suicide rate in the veteran population,” he said.
According to a Veterans Affairs report, 32 veterans died by suicide in Wyoming in 2021.
The bill was first heard by the Senate Transportation, Highway and Military Affairs Committee on Jan. 23. The committee amended the bill to have the funding come from the general fund, rather than the university’s block grant.
It was then transferred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which agreed to put $250,000 toward the program from the state’s general fund over the next three years.
The bill’s fiscal note estimates that the current cost of attendance for mental-health related masters or PhD-related degrees is $26,732 for residents and $40,532 for non-residents annually. It also points out that over the past five years, an estimate of 13 students may have been eligible for the program.
HB 36 - Hathaway Scholarship
HB 36 proposes amendments to the Hathaway Scholarship, a merit and need-based scholarship for recent high school graduates in Wyoming. The bill originally stated that future recipients would have to work or go to grad school in-state for one year for every four semesters they receive that funding, but that requirement was amended out.
Dicky Shaner spoke on behalf of Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder at a House Education Committee meeting on Jan. 20 and shared that she doesn’t have a stance on the bill. But he did share some concerns about how the work requirement could play out for a student entering college.
“[That] might have a chilling effect on students taking advantage of the Hathaway Scholarship, not knowing whether they’ll be able to find a job in Wyoming after they graduate,” he said.
Shaner also pointed to the logistical challenges that the Department of Education would have to work through in order to enforce that requirement and recognized that some professions may not have jobs readily available.
Those requirements were ultimately amended out of the bill in the House Committee on Education.
The bill also clarifies that the scholarship applies to more workforce training and trade-oriented certificate programs at community colleges and accredited technical schools, like getting a commercial drivers license (CDL) or operating heavy machinery.
Devon Brubaker is the airport director for the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and the president of the Wyoming Airports Coalition. He said the bill could help make sure there are employees around to help the industry run.
“The Wyoming aviation system and the aviation system across our country is facing a significant shortfall in pilots and aircraft mechanics,” he said. “The language in here provides clarity and makes sure that students in Wyoming can pursue these high-paying jobs while still taking advantage of the Hathaway Scholarship.”
Clark Fairbanks is with the Wyoming Youth Service Association and also voiced support for the bill, which he said could provide more opportunities for young people with little parental or financial support.
“It’s a way to allow them additional opportunity and keep them in our workforce and give them opportunities to increase their ability to move up in the workforce,” he said.
The amended bill unanimously passed the House Education Committee and passed its first two readings on the House floor.