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SB 772

Decreasing appropriation to Department of Health Facilities

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Woelfel

Expands Conroy Scholarship eligibility to include more dependents and surviving spouses of veterans by allowing Chapter 35 DEA status to verify eligibility and enabling school offi

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Bill Summary · SB 772

Summary — SB 772: Higher Education — Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program — Eligibility

Status: Hearing scheduled March 5, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
Introduced: 2025 legislative session (first reading Jan. 27, 2025 in Maryland).
Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2025.

Purpose / Intent

SB 772 expands eligibility and streamlines verification for the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program so additional family members of certain veterans who qualify for federal Chapter 35 Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits can access state Conroy scholarships.

Key provisions

  • Eligibility expansion
    • Adds as eligible applicants: a Maryland resident (at time of application or at time of disabling/fatal event) who is a son, daughter, stepchild, or surviving spouse of a U.S. Armed Forces member who, because of the veteran’s disability rating, is or was eligible for Chapter 35 DEA benefits at the time of application (as determined by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs).
  • Verification options
    • Allows applicants to submit a copy of their VA Certificate of Eligibility for Chapter 35 DEA to verify eligibility to a postsecondary institution.
    • If an applicant cannot obtain a certificate, a school certifying official or institutional liaison may verify the applicant’s Chapter 35 DEA status on the institution’s behalf.
  • Conforms statutory eligibility and institutional verification procedures to permit these documents/approaches.

Who is affected

  • Newly eligible individuals: dependents (children, stepchildren) and surviving spouses of service members whose VA Chapter 35 DEA eligibility arises from the veteran’s disability rating.
  • Postsecondary institutions: responsible for receiving and verifying DEA certificates (or documentation from certifying officials) and awarding Conroy scholarships.
  • Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC): administrative updates to eligibility rules and coordination with institutions.

Fiscal and administrative impacts

  • The fiscal note estimates an incremental cost of about $9,200 per additional scholarship award annually (based on 2024 program averages). In FY 2024 the program funded 736 scholarships (~$6.8 million total), so expanded eligibility could increase entitlement costs beginning FY 2026.
  • MHEC can implement the verification and eligibility changes using existing resources. Public institutions may see modest operational efficiencies if Chapter 35 certificates streamline verification.

Context / Program basics

  • The Conroy program provides scholarships to eligible dependents and surviving spouses of military and certain public safety personnel for up to five years full-time (or eight years part-time) at eligible Maryland postsecondary institutions (public, private, and private career schools). Awards are capped at specified maximums and subject to statutory floors.

Next steps / procedural notes

  • Hearing scheduled March 5, 2025 (1:00 p.m.). If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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