[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H1641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                VETERAN EXCELLENCE THROUGH EDUCATION ACT

  (Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD. This week marks the 10th anniversary of the 
onset of the Iraq war. As our troops return home, many still face a 
high unemployment rate. The statistic is higher for women veterans.
  One remedy to this abysmal unemployment rate is education. However, 
for many veterans, the opportunity to pursue the necessary education is 
difficult because of economic constraints, family responsibilities, or 
lack of information about available Federal resources. Similarly, many 
college campuses struggle to provide veterans with these resources.
  That is why I introduced my first bill this week, called the Veteran 
Excellence Through Education Act. This bill creates a competitive grant 
program aimed at helping college campuses that serve underrepresented 
populations and provides academic and related support services for all 
enrolled veterans in these schools. My district has many nearby schools 
with a growing veteran student population that would benefit from this 
bill, such as Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, San Bernardino 
Valley Community College, and UC Riverside.
  Education is a future investment. It is our obligation to assist 
veterans with job training and economic opportunity in return for their 
service to our country. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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