Texas State Representative Cesar Blanco is working to keep a program that offers free tuition for veterans and their families intact.

The El Paso Democrat’s bill comes on the heels of another piece of legislation a Republican lawmaker introduced that would cut back on the program.

State Rep. J.M. Lozano from Kingsville filed House Bill 3766, which looks to change the requirements for veterans to be eligible for free college tuition. Representative Blanco says the measure goes back on a promise the legislature made to veterans.



Under Lozano’s bill, members of the military would qualify for the program after serving four 4 years.

Right now, the Hazlewood Act only requires them to serve 180 days. The proposed legislation would also change Hazlewood, so that the benefits end 15 years after the veteran is honorably discharged, which means a child born after the parent’s discharge would not be eligible.

Blanco opposes the changes, is encouraging vets to reach out to their state reps.





“We’re going to continue to fight forward. I will be at the tip of the sphere fighting that again, but we need folks from El Paso, family members throughout the state, to reach out to their Republican State Representatives, and let them know that we want to keep the program intact,” said Blanco.





On Texas Senate Bill 4, most commonly referred to as the ‘Anti-Sanctuary Cities’ bill, Blanco said he’ll continue working hard so that it doesn’t pass.



The House State Affairs Committee held a hearing earlier this month, but no vote was taken. The committee hasn’t scheduled a date for another hearing.





SB 4 supporters say the bill is needed to keep dangerous criminals out of Texas.



“Communities such as El Paso all the way down to Brownsville are among the safest communities in the country. We don’t have that problem here, and we want to make sure that we keep our communities just as safe as they are without any intervention from the state government,” adds Blanco.