TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) -- U.S. Senator Gary Peters was in Traverse City Friday to receive an award from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College.
The school presented Peters with the Admiral Willard J. Smith Meritorious Service Award.
It recognizes Peter's support of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and his work on the federal Changing Age-Determined Eligibility to Student Incentive Payments (CADETS) Act, which was signed into law by President Biden last year.
The CADETS Act expands eligibility for the Maritime Administration’s Student Incentive Payment Program.
Previously, students older than 26 were prohibited from receiving Student Incentive Payment Program benefits.
Peters’ legislation expands the eligibility age to include any qualified student who will meet the age requirements for enlistment in the U.S. Navy Reserve at their time of graduation, and ensures that non-traditional cadets, including veterans, can receive this funding.