Changes to the National Guard tuition benefit bill, H.517, sparked discussion on the Senate floor on Wednesday about who should be allowed to serve in the Guard’s top leadership.
The Senate Education Committee tacked on an amendment to create eligibility criteria for someone to be elected to the Guard’s top roles of adjutant or inspector general.
H.517, as amended by the Senate, would require the adjutant or inspector to:
- have attained the rank of Colonel or above;
- be a current member of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army Reserve, the U.S. Air Force Reserve, the Army National Guard, or the Air National Guard or be eligible to return to active service in the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard;
- be a graduate of a Senior Service College;
- and be eligible for federal recognition.
Vermont is now the only state where the Legislature elects the guard’s adjutant general, rather than the position being appointed by the governor.
The current adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, was elected in 2019. Before his election, a handful of candidates made the rounds in the Statehouse — each pitching lawmakers that they were the best choice to lead.
An amendment in H.517 also would extend Knight’s term until March 2024, and push future elections until later in the biennium, so candidates would have more time to make their cases to lawmakers.
Whether to elect or appoint the adjutant general has been a point of disagreement between the House and Senate for years, said Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, on the floor. White has introduced a bill to create an appointment process multiple times, she said. Each time it was passed in the Senate but died in the House.
White said the education committee went out of bounds in drafting the amendment, as military affairs are the jurisdiction of the Government Operations Committee — which White chairs. Nevertheless, White said she strongly supported the eligibility requirements, which she said were necessary to ensure a qualified candidate.
While Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden, said he supported the requirements, he argued the Legislature has acted appropriately without them.
“I have some faith in the General Assembly,” he said. “We’ve never elected a pedestrian to lead the Vermont National Guard.”
But Pearson’s biggest concern was how the Senate was going about the amendment — potentially circumventing the wishes of relevant committees in the House.
“I’m as keen on political tricks as anybody. They have their place,” Pearson said on the Senate floor. “I do think, Madam President, that we should be careful, because at this time of year, there’s 30 of us, and there’s 150 of them, and they greatly outnumber us. If we open the gates to this kind of practice, I believe the Senate would find itself quickly at a disadvantage.”
The Senate Education Committee added a few other “ornaments” to the bill, as Sen. Thomas Chittenden, D-Chittenden, put it in his presentation on the floor.
Under the amended bill, school districts would allow families relocating to Vermont under military orders to register their kids in school by mail, phone or electronically, rather than in person.
It would also create a “purple-star campus” designation for schools that designate a military liaison and promote resources for students who are military dependents.
The original meat of the bill seeks to expand the National Guard tuition benefit, and would provide in-state tuition for guard members pursuing either a second bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The Senate approved the education committee’s changes and approved the bill for third reading, 30-0.