[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9829-H9831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ENCOURAGING MEMBERSHIP IN THE SERVICEMEMBERS OPPORTUNITY COLLEGES 
                               CONSORTIUM

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 491) encouraging each institution of higher 
education in the country to seek membership in the Servicemembers 
Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 491

       Whereas in order to enhance their military effectiveness 
     and to achieve their educational, vocational, and career 
     goals, servicemembers should share in the same postsecondary 
     educational opportunities that are available to other 
     citizens;
       Whereas to enhance access to undergraduate educational 
     opportunities for servicemembers, institutions should 
     maintain a necessary flexibility of programs and procedures, 
     particularly in admissions, credit transfer, and recognition 
     of other applicable learning, including that gained in the 
     military, in scheduling and format of courses, and in 
     academic residency requirements to offset servicemembers' 
     mobility, isolation from campuses, and part-time student 
     status;
       Whereas the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) 
     Consortium, which was created in 1972 to provide educational 
     opportunities to servicemembers who had trouble completing 
     college degrees because of their frequent relocations, today 
     includes more than 1,800 colleges and universities among its 
     members;
       Whereas the SOC Consortium is a vehicle to help coordinate 
     voluntary postsecondary educational opportunities for 
     servicemembers by advocating for the flexibility needed to 
     improve access to and availability of educational programs 
     for servicemembers, helping the military and higher education 
     communities understand and respond to each other's resources, 
     limits, and requirements for meeting the education and 
     training needs of servicemembers, and strengthening the 
     working relationships among military and higher education 
     representatives;
       Whereas each year, hundreds of thousands of servicemembers 
     and their family members enroll in associate, bachelor, and 
     graduate level degree programs offered by SOC Consortium 
     members on school campuses, military installations, and 
     armories within the United States and overseas;
       Whereas SOC Consortium member institutions provide 
     flexibility to servicemembers, their families, and veterans 
     seeking college degrees and, in turn, these institutions 
     benefit from the enrollment of mature, highly motivated adult 
     students who are making use of tuition assistance or 
     Montgomery GI Bill benefits to pay their education costs; and
       Whereas in gratitude and respect for their service to the 
     United States, all institutions of higher education in the 
     country should strive to provide our servicemembers with the 
     tools and opportunities they need to achieve their 
     educational, vocational, and career goals: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) encourages each institution of higher education in the 
     country to seek membership in the Servicemembers Opportunity 
     Colleges (SOC) Consortium; and
       (2) recognizes the institutions of higher education that 
     are currently members of the SOC Consortium.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Snyder). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Hawaii.

[[Page H9830]]

                             General Leave

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous 
material on H. Res. 491 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HIRONO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 491, which 
encourages each institution of higher education in the country to seek 
membership in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium, SOC.
  Whether at home or abroad, military servicemembers deserve our 
Nation's utmost respect and support. It is, therefore, important that 
our Nation's institutions of higher education respect the commitment 
that military servicemembers make in protecting the freedoms we often 
take for granted.
  The SOC recognizes the sacrifices that many of these servicemembers 
make, and it provides servicemembers with the opportunities for 
continued learning. The SOC appreciates the positive attributes 
military servicemembers bring as active participants in a diverse 
college environment.
  The SOC works toward improving the relationship between the military 
and institutions of higher education. Increased understanding provides 
the flexibility necessary for servicemembers to meet the educational 
requirements that schools demand. The SOC manages to balance the 
development of programs and procedures that meet the unique needs of 
servicemembers while protecting and assuring the quality of educational 
programs. The SOC includes over 1,800 colleges and universities. 
Members of this consortium should be commended.
  However, in order to create additional opportunities for deserving 
servicemembers, we need to encourage other higher education 
institutions to join the SOC. The SOC enables Americans to express our 
gratitude to servicemembers and to ensure that they have access to the 
same educational opportunities that are available to other citizens.
  The SOC provides a wealth of pathways to a quality education while 
being sensitive to the needs of those who have served our country or of 
those who are currently on active duty. Under this program, 
servicemembers can easily transfer credits earned while working toward 
a degree; they can attend a myriad of campuses and can opt for distance 
learning in certain instances.

                              {time}  1200

  It is imperative that servicemembers are able to obtain an excellent 
education, not only because it makes our troops stronger, but because 
it serves as a necessary way to express gratitude for all of the ways 
that our servicemembers sacrifice to protect our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Adler for bringing this 
resolution forward.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 491, a resolution 
encouraging each institution of higher education in the country to seek 
membership in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, or SOC, 
Consortium.
  The SOC Consortium was created in 1972 to provide educational 
assistance to servicemembers who had trouble completing their 
postsecondary education due to their frequent moves.
  Today, more than 1,800 colleges and universities are a member of this 
important consortium with operational partnership between the 
Department of Defense and the American Association of State Colleges 
and Universities.
  All institutions that join the consortium must agree to have 
military-friendly policies on campus. Generally, these institutions 
agree to things like reasonable transfer of credit policies, providing 
credit for military training and experience, and providing credit for 
at least one nationally recognized testing program like the college-
level examination program.
  The consortium also assists institutions and students in following 
new policy changes that may benefit servicemembers or veterans. 
Committee Republicans have long been supportive of ensuring that 
America's servicemen and -women are easily able to accomplish their 
goal of achieving a postsecondary education degree.
  The Higher Education Opportunity Act passed last Congress included a 
number of new initiatives for servicemembers and veterans. The bill 
required the Secretary of Education to provide a Web site that should 
serve as a one-stop shop for servicemembers to access information about 
all education benefits.
  This bill also included a program to provide funds to institutions to 
develop on-campus centers that will help servicemembers navigate 
everything from course registration to educational benefits to help pay 
for college. These programs will help ensure that these students 
receive all of the information they need without having to navigate 
through all the red tape.
  I recognize that many institutions already have military-friendly 
policies in place whether or not they are a part of this consortium. 
Through this resolution, we are encouraging even more institutions to 
review their policies and to think about whether there is more that 
they could give back to those who are fighting for America's freedom.
  I certainly want to congratulate my colleague Mr. Adler for 
introducing this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, I urge my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize, for 3 minutes, 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Adler), the sponsor of this 
resolution.
  Mr. ADLER of New Jersey. I thank the gentlelady for bringing this 
resolution to the floor. I thank my friend Mr. Thompson for his 
support. I thank both Congressman Miller and Ranking Member Kline for 
their leadership on the Education and Labor Committee.
  We have a country that watches us and is sometimes appalled by what 
they see as too much partisanship. This is another example of 
Republicans and Democrats working together to help the young men and 
women who have both put on a uniform, gone overseas to keep us safe and 
free back home. Democrats, Republicans, a Member of Congress, as 
Americans are standing up for those people that stood up for us to keep 
us safe and to keep us free.
  I was delighted by the remarks of both Ms. Hirono and Mr. Thompson in 
support of this resolution. We are trying to thank those colleges, 
those universities, those technical schools that already do what they 
can in terms of admissions, in terms of credit transfers, in terms of 
recognizing the service time as an educational opportunity for which 
credit should be given.
  We want to encourage those other universities, other colleges, other 
technical schools that don't yet do this to do what schools, colleges, 
technical schools around the country have done since 1972, and 
increasingly so.
  I was very, very happy that my State university in New Jersey, 
Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, just so 
recently acknowledged SOC, joined SOC, and is doing what so many other 
universities, colleges and technical schools have been doing since 1972 
to help our servicemembers, to help our newly discharged veterans 
realize their civilian American Dream. Each and every one of them, as 
they see fit, by going to a university or college of higher education 
may achieve the sorts of opportunities they want through higher 
education to have a successful civilian life.
  I thank both my friends here, Ms. Hirono and Mr. Thompson. I thank 
the leadership and the committee on both sides for trying to work for 
Americans, work for our veterans, work for our active servicemembers 
and for their family members to make sure they have a chance at a 
higher education.
  I urge all our Members to support this resolution.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. I thank my good friend for sponsoring 
this resolution. I am certainly proud as a member of the Education and 
Labor Committee to support this resolution as well. I think, to me, 
more importantly, as the father of a United States soldier, thank you 
for this resolution.

[[Page H9831]]

  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HIRONO. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his remarks 
and, in particular, because in his family he has servicemembers. I 
thank Mr. Adler for bringing this forward.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 491.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________