Iowa House approves tuition aid for veterans

The House has unanimously sent Gov. Terry Branstad a measure increasing spending on tuition assistance for deployed veterans who want to attend public Iowa colleges.

A big deployment of Iowa National Guard troops has led to increased demand for the program, forcing officials to reduce funding from 90 percent of tuition to 50 percent. The measure approved Thursday by the House adds $1.3 million to restore the 90 percent funding level.

Tuition is available only at Iowa community colleges and the state?s three public universities.

Last week, the Senate unanimously approved the measure.

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht says the governor would review the measure before deciding whether to sign it into law.