[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 341-342]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MONTGOMERY GI BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 4, 2007

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address an 
inequity facing America's men and women in uniform who seek an 
education in return for their military service.
  For years, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) has allowed thousands of men 
and women in uniform attend college or to receive vocational training 
to prepare for a new career after the military.
  It is an excellent program and one we must preserve.
  However, Madam Speaker, I would like to remedy an inequity that 
exists in this program with legislation I am introducing today.

[[Page 342]]

  To receive the benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill, our service 
members must pay into the program at the beginning of their military 
service.
  One hundred dollars is deducted each month from their military pay 
for the first 12 months.
  With the legislation I offer today, our service members would still 
make the initial contribution. However, this contribution would no 
longer count against them later on when they apply for federal student 
aid.
  In many cases, Madam Speaker, the Montgomery GI Bill alone does not 
cover the cost for college or job training. Our service members must 
also apply for federal student aid to cover tuition and other expenses.
  The Department of Education considers their benefits from the 
Montgomery GI Bill as ``income''-- thereby reducing the amount they are 
eligible to receive from federal student aid programs.
  This legislation goes back to the $1,200 out-of-pocket contribution 
that a service member made to become eligible for the Montgomery GI 
Bill.
  It is not fair to ask our service members to pay the original amount 
out of their own pocket and then penalize them for it later on.
  This bill would simply exempt the original contribution that came 
from their own pocket from the Department of Education's income 
consideration.
  This legislation does not present significant cost to the federal 
government but would go a long way to help America's individual service 
members afford college.
  During the last Congress, I offered the provisions contained in this 
legislation as part of the College Access and Opportunity Act (H.R. 
609) when it was on the House floor.
  Unfortunately, the amendment was not accepted, but I plan to pursue 
the issue until we correct this inequity.
  Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to offer legislation 
benefiting America's military service members and helping them to 
attend college or receive job training.

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