[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 83 (Friday, May 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011

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                               speech of

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 27, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5136) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
     other purposes:

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Courtney/Petri/
Matsui amendment which would transfer the Troops to Teachers Program 
back to the Department of Defense from the Department of Education and 
would make essential improvements to the program to ensure that 
veterans returning from service have access to its benefits.
  Currently, the Troops to Teachers Program is operated by the Defense 
Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) within the 
Department of Defense. The Department of Education simply transfers 
funds to DANTES. Our amendment would transfer the program back to the 
Department of Defense, thus streamlining the program. Both the 
Department of Defense and the Department of Education support this 
transfer, which is reflected in the President's Fiscal Year 2011 budget 
request.
  Additionally, our amendment would ensure that veterans participating 
in the Troops to Teachers program receive a $5,000 stipend for teaching 
three years in any school that is in a district receiving Title 1 
funds. This change would create a 49-percent increase in the number of 
schools eligible under the program.
  As the language of H.R. 3943 reflects, it is the intent of this 
amendment to strike ``high need'' from the stipend participation 
language in the Troops to Teachers statute. There was a late night 
drafting error that mistakenly did not delete the term ``high need'' as 
was planned and is consistent with the language in H.R. 3943. As this 
provision is finalized in conference, it is essential that this 
technical change be made to implement the original intent of the 
amendment.
  This amendment also makes this program more accessible to our 
veterans returning from service by reducing the length of service 
requirements for active military. Many of our young men and women 
returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan who would like to pursue 
teaching careers are currently ineligible for the program. The 
amendment reduces the required length of service from six years to four 
years.
  Finally, this amendment creates an advisory board to ensure continued 
success, by increasing awareness and participation and ensuring the 
program meets the needs of schools and veterans.
  I want to thank my colleagues, Representative Courtney and 
Representative Petri for their work on this amendment and for their 
continued support of the Troops to Teachers Program, as well as both 
the House Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Education and 
Labor for their assistance in this amendment. I urge my colleagues to 
support the amendment. es to support the amendment.

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