Education Legislation to Help Virginia Vets

In recognition of the courage and sacrifice of the one out of every eight adult Virginians who is a veteran, Delegate David Poisson (D-Loudoun) announced that he has introduced legislation directing the governing boards of public institutions of higher education in Virginia to admit automatically in-state students applying for admission who have graduated at the top of their class from a public or private high school in Virginia and have been honorably discharged from military service.

“If we expect young people to enlist in the military in larger numbers than they do today, then we must demonstrate more forcefully our appreciation for their service to our country,” said the second-term delegate. “I know of no better way to express our gratitude for the service our veterans have rendered than by telling them that if they have worked hard in high school and served their country well, they will be rewarded with the right to choose whichever college they’d prefer to attend.”

Original cosponsors of Delegate Poisson’s legislation include Delegate and U.S. Air Force veteran William Barlow; Delegate, U.S. Naval Academy graduate and retired U.S. Navy Captain Joseph Bouchard; Delegate and U.S. Army veteran Robert Brink; Delegate and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate David Englin; Delegate Paula Miller; and Delegate Kenneth Plum. Delegate Poisson’s bill specifically provides that the “board of visitors or other governing body of every public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth shall provide for the automatic acceptance of students applying for admission who
(i) are domiciled residents of Virginia . . .;
(ii) have graduated from a public or private high school in Virginia with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of such student’s graduating class; and
(iii) have been honorably discharged from service in the United States Armed Forces, the United States Armed Forces Reserves, the Virginia National Guard, or the Virginia National Guard Reserve.”

Delegate Poisson was first elected to the General Assembly in November 2005. He was re-elected in November 2007, winning 19 of the 22 precincts in his district. Delegate Poisson serves on the House Counties, Cities and Towns and Militia, Police and Public Safety Committees. His House district encompasses the communities of Lowes Island, Cascades, Countryside, Sugarland Run, Ashburn, Ashburn Farm, Lansdowne, and Broadlands.

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