[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT FOR H.R. 1212 VETERANS' EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Evans, Mr. Brown of South 
Carolina, Mr. Rodriguez, and Mr. Michaud join me in introducing H.R. 
1212, the Veterans' Education Affordability Act, to increase the 
Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) monthly educational assistance allowance to 
$1,200 for full-time students and repeal the $1,200 pay reduction for 
MGIB eligibility.
  The original World War II GI Bill exceeded all expectations and had 
enormous benefits beyond the immediate ones given to deserving war 
veterans. College enrollment grew dramatically: in 1947, GI Bill 
enrollees accounted for almost half of the total college population. 
This resulted in a need for more and larger colleges and universities. 
In my home state of New Jersey, Rutgers University saw its admissions 
grow from a pre-war high of 7,000 to almost 16,000.
  In the decade following World War II, more than 2 million eligible 
men and women went to college using GI Bill educational benefits. The 
result was an American workforce enriched by 450,000 engineers, 238,000 
teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 dentists and 
another million college-educated men and women.
  Building upon the success of the original GI Bill, Congress 
subsequently approved a second bill following the Korean Conflict; then 
a third bill following the Vietnam Conflict; and a fourth bill for the 
post-Vietnam War era. In 1985, under the dedicated leadership of former 
Veterans' Committee Chairman Sonny Montgomery, Congress approved the 
modern version of the GI Bill which is fittingly called the Montgomery 
GI Bill. The MGIB was designed not only to help veterans make a 
transition into the workforce through additional education and 
training, but also to serve as a powerful recruitment tool for our all-
volunteer armed forces.
  With the enactment of Public Law 107-103, the Veterans Education and 
Benefits Expansion Act of 2001, Congress significantly increased MGIB 
purchasing power for veterans and servicemembers. I was privileged to 
author this legislation which increased the MGIB basic benefit in 
January 2002 from $672 to $800 per month. It further increased the 
benefit in October 2002 to $900 and will increase the benefit in 
October of this year to $985--a 46 percent increase from the $672 per 
month.
  But according to data furnished by the College Board, for the current 
academic year the MGIB benefit remains below the level needed for a 
veteran-student to attend a public, four-year institution as a commuter 
student. This increase to $1,200 would be another significant step 
toward a more realistic educational benefit.
  This legislation would also eliminate the $1,200 reduction in pay 
required for a servicemember to gain eligibility for the MGIB. We view 
the $1,200 as an unnecessary GI education tax and a hardship on the 
most junior servicemembers, many of whom qualify for food stamps. No 
other federal education program charges such a participation fee and 
H.R. 1212 will repeal it.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation to help 
both servicemembers and veterans get the most valuable benefit 
possible--a quality education and training for the workplace.




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