# What This Bill Does

This bill creates a new educational assistance program specifically for members of the District of Columbia National Guard. It allows the DC National Guard to pay for college and vocational training costs for its members, with the goal of encouraging people to join and stay in the organization.

Here's how it works in practice: If you're a member of the DC National Guard and you've completed your initial required service, you can get financial help paying for school. The program covers up to $10,000 per year for tuition, plus $500 yearly for books and another $500 for lab fees and other course expenses. You can use this money whether you're pursuing an undergraduate degree, a master's degree, a doctorate, or a vocational or technical certification. The assistance applies to any school that participates in federal student aid programs, so you have flexibility in where you study.

To qualify, you need to meet a few conditions. You must have finished your initial active duty service, you can't already have a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, and you have to sign an agreement committing to serve in the DC National Guard for a period that the commanding general determines. Once you're in the program, you need to keep performing your duties satisfactorily, maintain at least part-time enrollment in school, and make acceptable progress toward your degree.

There's an important catch: if you receive this assistance but then leave the National Guard before your service commitment ends or fail to meet the eligibility requirements, you'll have to pay the money back. The bill also allows the DC National Guard to reduce the maximum assistance amounts or limit how many people participate if funding runs short in any given year. The program becomes available starting January 1, 2025.