rosebud*
02-08-2008, 10:41 AM
:yay about time. I hope they don't eff this one up. :xfingers
The House of Representatives passed a major education bill that includes a promise of in-state tuition for the families of service members, a scholarship program for military families and special centers to help veterans finish college degrees.
The bill, HR 4137, now goes to the Senate, where changes are possible. But its passage by a 354-58 vote on Thursday is just the start of what could be a year of many education initiatives for military families, which have gained the green light after President Bush announced he supports allowing active-duty service members to transfer some of their GI Bill education benefits to their spouse or children.
Reps. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, and Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., were the chief sponsors of the amendment promising in-state tuition for military dependents as long as their military sponsor was either a resident of the state or stationed in the state when the student started college. If the military sponsor is reassigned, in-state tuition would continue to apply, something that does not always happen today.
“One of the many hardships military families face when they move from base to base is their children’s inability to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public universities,” Edwards said. “Given the sacrifices being made by our military families, it is wrong to raise a military child’s college tuition by $10,000 to $20,000 a year when a parent is re-stationed to a military base in a different state.
“Granting military children the ability to pay in-state tuition rates throughout the country means many will no longer have to give up their education goals when their parents’ military orders come in,” said Edwards, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military quality of life programs.
The House bill also would create a new scholarship program for active-duty personnel and family members, including children and spouses of active-duty service members or veterans. It also would establish support centers to help veterans graduate and excludes veterans benefits from counting as income when considering eligibility for student aid or housing aid.
Attached to the bill is legislation sponsored by Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee, that prevents interest from accruing on student loans for active or reserve troops serving in a combat zone. The freeze on interest would be for up to 60 months.
While the House was passing this bill, the number of co-sponsors was climbing for bipartisan legislation that would allow active, National Guard and reserve members to transfer GI Bill benefits to their spouse or children in return for a commitment to remain in the military.
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, is the chief sponsor of the bill that has gained attention since President Bush mentioned in his State of the Union address that he supported GI Bill transfer rights.
Bartlett, who has been pushed the idea for several years, reintroduced a modified measure Thursday that has 44 co-sponsors. Two differences between it and the plan taking shape in the Bush administration is that Bartlett would allow a service member to transfer their full GI Bill entitlement to their families and would make transfer rights available to reservists.
“It’s only fair to allow our service members to use the full amount of the GI Bill benefits they have earned,” Bartlett said. “The ability to transfer unused benefits to a spouse or children could make a critical difference to senior NCOs and officers who might otherwise leave the military because they can’t afford to send them to college.”
He predicted that with Bush supporting the idea, and with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, sponsoring identical legislation, the bill will not sit idly on the shelf this year.
Other proposals also are in play. Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced a Senate bill to improve education and job opportunities for military spouses. It would allow service members to transfer GI Bill benefits to a spouse; give military spouses a five-point hiring preference for federal jobs, similar to the hiring preference for veterans; and create tax credits for employers who hire military spouses.
“This bill helps ensure we’re giving our military spouses the support they need to remain in the service,” Corker said. “We spend a lot of time talking about our military families, but this is a bill that actually does something to improve the lives and livelihoods of these families who make tremendous sacrifices in service to our country.”
The House of Representatives passed a major education bill that includes a promise of in-state tuition for the families of service members, a scholarship program for military families and special centers to help veterans finish college degrees.
The bill, HR 4137, now goes to the Senate, where changes are possible. But its passage by a 354-58 vote on Thursday is just the start of what could be a year of many education initiatives for military families, which have gained the green light after President Bush announced he supports allowing active-duty service members to transfer some of their GI Bill education benefits to their spouse or children.
Reps. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, and Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., were the chief sponsors of the amendment promising in-state tuition for military dependents as long as their military sponsor was either a resident of the state or stationed in the state when the student started college. If the military sponsor is reassigned, in-state tuition would continue to apply, something that does not always happen today.
“One of the many hardships military families face when they move from base to base is their children’s inability to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public universities,” Edwards said. “Given the sacrifices being made by our military families, it is wrong to raise a military child’s college tuition by $10,000 to $20,000 a year when a parent is re-stationed to a military base in a different state.
“Granting military children the ability to pay in-state tuition rates throughout the country means many will no longer have to give up their education goals when their parents’ military orders come in,” said Edwards, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military quality of life programs.
The House bill also would create a new scholarship program for active-duty personnel and family members, including children and spouses of active-duty service members or veterans. It also would establish support centers to help veterans graduate and excludes veterans benefits from counting as income when considering eligibility for student aid or housing aid.
Attached to the bill is legislation sponsored by Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee, that prevents interest from accruing on student loans for active or reserve troops serving in a combat zone. The freeze on interest would be for up to 60 months.
While the House was passing this bill, the number of co-sponsors was climbing for bipartisan legislation that would allow active, National Guard and reserve members to transfer GI Bill benefits to their spouse or children in return for a commitment to remain in the military.
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, is the chief sponsor of the bill that has gained attention since President Bush mentioned in his State of the Union address that he supported GI Bill transfer rights.
Bartlett, who has been pushed the idea for several years, reintroduced a modified measure Thursday that has 44 co-sponsors. Two differences between it and the plan taking shape in the Bush administration is that Bartlett would allow a service member to transfer their full GI Bill entitlement to their families and would make transfer rights available to reservists.
“It’s only fair to allow our service members to use the full amount of the GI Bill benefits they have earned,” Bartlett said. “The ability to transfer unused benefits to a spouse or children could make a critical difference to senior NCOs and officers who might otherwise leave the military because they can’t afford to send them to college.”
He predicted that with Bush supporting the idea, and with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, sponsoring identical legislation, the bill will not sit idly on the shelf this year.
Other proposals also are in play. Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced a Senate bill to improve education and job opportunities for military spouses. It would allow service members to transfer GI Bill benefits to a spouse; give military spouses a five-point hiring preference for federal jobs, similar to the hiring preference for veterans; and create tax credits for employers who hire military spouses.
“This bill helps ensure we’re giving our military spouses the support they need to remain in the service,” Corker said. “We spend a lot of time talking about our military families, but this is a bill that actually does something to improve the lives and livelihoods of these families who make tremendous sacrifices in service to our country.”