Subd. 1.

Repealed by amendment, 1996 c 390 s 32

Subd. 1a. Enlistment bonus program.

1. (a) The adjutant general may establish within the limitations of this subdivision a program to provide enlistment bonuses to eligible prospects who become members of the Minnesota national guard.

2. (b) Eligibility for the bonus is limited to a candidate who:

   1. (1) has expertise, qualifications, or potential for military service deemed by the adjutant general as sufficiently important to the readiness of the national guard or a unit of the national guard to warrant the payment of a bonus in an amount to generally encourage the candidate's enlistment in the national guard;
   2. (2) joins the national guard as an enlisted member, as defined in section 190.05, subdivision 6; and

   3. (3) serves satisfactorily during the period of, and completes, the person's initial entry training, if applicable.

      The adjutant general may, within the limitations of this paragraph and other applicable laws, determine additional eligibility criteria for the bonus, and must specify all of the criteria in regulations and publish changes as necessary.

3. (c) The enlistment bonus payments must be made on a schedule that is determined and published in department regulations by the adjutant general.
4. (d) If a member fails to complete a term of enlistment for which a bonus was paid, the adjutant general may seek to recoup a prorated amount of the bonus as determined by the adjutant general.

Subd. 1b. Reenlistment bonus program.

1. (a) The adjutant general may establish a program to provide a reenlistment bonus to eligible members of the Minnesota national guard who extend their enlistment in the national guard within the limitations of this subdivision.

2. (b) Eligibility for the bonus is limited to an enlisted member of the national guard, as defined in section 190.05, subdivision 6, who:

   1. (1) is serving satisfactorily as determined by the adjutant general;
   2. (2) has 12 or fewer years of service creditable for retirement; and

   3. (3) has military training and expertise deemed by the adjutant general as sufficiently important to the readiness of the national guard or a unit of the national guard to warrant the payment of a bonus in an amount to generally encourage the member's reenlistment in the national guard.

      The adjutant general may, within the limitations of this paragraph and other applicable laws, determine additional eligibility criteria for the bonus, and must specify all of the criteria in regulations and publish changes as necessary.

3. (c) The reenlistment bonus payments must be made on a schedule that is determined and published in department regulations by the adjutant general.
4. (d) If a member fails to complete a term of reenlistment for which a bonus was paid, the adjutant general may seek to recoup a prorated amount of the bonus as determined by the adjutant general.

Subd. 2. Tuition and textbook reimbursement grant program.

1. (a) The adjutant general shall establish a program to provide tuition and textbook reimbursement grants to eligible members of the Minnesota national guard within the limitations of this subdivision.

2. (b) Eligibility is limited to a member of the national guard who:

   1. (1) is serving satisfactorily as defined by the adjutant general;
   2. (2) is attending a post-secondary educational institution, as defined by section 136A.15, subdivision 6, including a vocational or technical school operated or regulated by this state or another state or province; and

   3. (3) provides proof of satisfactory completion of coursework, as defined by the adjutant general.

      In addition, if a member of the Minnesota national guard is killed in the line of state active service or federally funded state active service, as defined in section 190.05, subdivisions 5a and 5b, the member's surviving spouse, and any surviving dependent who has not yet reached 24 years of age, is eligible for a tuition and textbook reimbursement grant.

      The adjutant general may, within the limitations of this paragraph and other applicable laws, determine additional eligibility criteria for the grant, and must specify the criteria in department regulations and publish changes as necessary.

3. (c) The amount of a tuition and textbook reimbursement grant must be specified on a schedule as determined and published in department regulations by the adjutant general, but is limited to a maximum of an amount equal to the greater of:

   1. (1) 75 percent of the cost of tuition for lower division programs in the college of liberal arts at the twin cities campus of the University of Minnesota in the most recent academic year; or

   2. (2) 50 percent of the cost of tuition for the program in which the person is enrolled at that Minnesota public institution, or if that public institution is outside the state of Minnesota, for the cost of a comparable program at the University of Minnesota, except that in the case of a survivor as defined in paragraph (b), the amount of the tuition and textbook reimbursement grant for coursework satisfactorily completed by the person is limited to 100 percent of the cost of tuition for post-secondary courses at a Minnesota public educational institution.

      Paragraph (b) notwithstanding, a person is no longer eligible for a grant under this subdivision once the person has received grants under this subdivision for the equivalent of 208 quarter credits or 144 semester credits of coursework.

4. (d) Tuition and textbook reimbursement grants received under this subdivision may not be considered by the Minnesota higher education services office or by any other state board, commission, or entity in determining a person's eligibility for a scholarship or grant-in-aid under sections 136A.095 to 136A.1311.
5. (e) If a member fails to complete a term of enlistment during which a tuition and textbook reimbursement grant was paid, the adjutant general may seek to recoup a prorated amount as determined by the adjutant general.

Subd. 3. Recordkeeping and reporting.

The adjutant general must keep an accurate record of the recipients and benefits paid under this section, and must report this information in the agency performance report, including information regarding the rank, unit location, race, and gender.

By January 16 of each year, the adjutant general must provide copies of the regulations developed under this section to the chairs of the house and senate policy committees responsible for the national guard.

The department of military affairs shall make a specific effort to recruit and reenlist women and members of minority groups into the national guard through the use of the financial incentives authorized by the programs in this section.