House of Delegates passes repeal of recent changes to VMSDEP, Senate set to return Monday

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Military families in Virginia are breathing a sigh of relief after the House of Delegates took the first step in repealing recent changes to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP).

“This was a promise given to us,” Disabled Army Veteran Katrina Frye told 8News. “This is something we have earned. It is not something that should be so lightly taken away from us.”

Last month, lawmakers made the program, which waives college tuition for the children and spouses of qualified disabled military veterans, harder for families to access. However, on Friday, the House voted 92-0 to repeal those changes.

“I’m so grateful that we were able to come together in a bipartisan way to fix this,” Del. Mike Cherry, (R-Colonial Heights), said.  “It’s very important that we restore this program [and] get it back to the way it was. I think there are some places we can tighten it up, but right now the thing we have to do is restore what we took away and fix what we messed up.”

However, the repeal bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate after the Democratic-controlled chamber failed to take any action on a repeal bill earlier this month. Now, Democrats have put forth a new proposal that stops short of a full repeal.

“Feels like the Senate is kicking the can down the road. A full repeal is what we need. No deal, full repeal. That’s it. Period, end of discussion. That is all we will accept,” said Frye.

Cherry, who voted for the full repeal, has a message for Senators.

“I would say it’s time to do the right thing. This is not a political thing,” said Cherry.

The Senate is set to return to Richmond on Monday, however, it is unclear if they will even take up the full repeal bill passed Friday by the House.

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