[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2935-2936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             POST-9/11 VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, this Chamber has recently been consumed 
by discussion of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obviously, we don't 
all agree on this issue. But there are a few things that I think we can 
agree on.
  We can agree that the brave men and women serving their country 
overseas and at home are doing a superb job. We can agree that we have 
the finest fighting force the world has ever known. And we can agree 
that our veterans deserve benefits for the sacrifices they make and the 
risks they take while serving their country.
  For nearly 65 years, one of those benefits has been affordable access 
to a college education when they return from war. Commonly called the 
GI bill, this benefit is widely recognized as one of the best pieces of 
legislation ever passed by Congress. Unfortunately, for many Oregonian 
citizen soldiers this benefit has remained just out of reach.
  Oregon has no large active duty military bases, and most Oregonians 
who serve their country do so in the National Guard or Reserves. They 
stay trained and ready, and when our nation needs them they fight 
bravely. But when the fighting is over, they return to their 
communities and their jobs. And, all too often, their sacrifice is not 
rewarded the way it is for members of the active duty force.
  An active duty soldiers can collect GI bill benefits even after they 
leave the military. However, if a member of the Oregon National Guard 
wants to attend Portland State University after fighting in Iraq for a 
year, he or she must stay in the Guard, risking another deployment, to 
collect his or her benefits.
  I believe that as a matter of basic fairness, soldiers that share the 
same foxhole for the same length of time should get the same benefit. 
Some people say ``That's too logical for government.'' But fortunately, 
Senators Webb and Warner recognizing this basic inequity have written a 
bill to correct this problem, and generally modernize the GI bill.
  I firmly believe education should be both available and affordable to 
all service men and women, and it for this reason that I am proud to 
stand today in support of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance 
Act.
  Many servicemembers who volunteered to join the armed forces after 
September 11, 2001, did so with the full knowledge that they would very 
likely be called to serve in harm's way. Over 600,000 members of the 
Nation's Guard and Reserve have been called to active duty. Since our 
nation came under attack, more than half of the Oregon National Guard 
has deployed overseas. Oregon's deployment rate has ranked among the 
highest per capita in the Nation. The National Guard has done much more 
than they have historically been called upon to do, and at great 
sacrifice. This bill honors all who have served on active duty on or 
after September 11, 2001, by expanding the educational benefits 
provided under current law.
  The cost of higher education has increased dramatically in recent 
years. Over the past 5 years, the average cost of tuition has increased 
35 percent. Room and board costs have also risen on average over 35 
percent. Many of our servicemembers have put their educational plans on 
hold while at war, and the rising cost of education has outpaced their 
ability to pay. This has put them at a competitive disadvantage in a 
nation that has called them to service. This bill would put them back 
on equal footing. Servicemembers, including activated Guard and Reserve 
members, who have served on active duty for at least 3 months would be 
entitled to benefits under this bill.
  As with previous GI bills, this bill would secure tuition payments, a 
monthly stipend to assist with living expenses, and a stipend for books 
and required educational expenses. This bill would go a step further, 
however. Instead of recognizing an activated reservist's longest 
consecutive active service, this bill would recognize cumulative active 
service. This is a crucial distinction that recognizes the way we 
employ our forces today. Payments and stipends would be scaled up to 
100 percent. The benefits would be protected if a servicemember is 
deployed or transferred. It would contribute to licensure and 
certification testing and to some college-level correspondence courses. 
Finally, this bill would establish a new program in which colleges or 
universities may voluntarily agree to make up or reduce the difference 
between tuition costs and what the new benefits would provide. Under 
this program, the benefit would match a school's additional 
contribution dollar for dollar, up to 50 percent of the tuition 
difference.
  This bill would not just recognize and reward our service men and 
women for their sacrifices. It would create a meaningful retention and 
recruiting tool for our active, Guard and Reserve

[[Page 2936]]

forces, and it would provide an investment in the future of our Nation 
by encouraging and contributing to the kinds of education and training 
that lead to good jobs, good pay, and economic stability. I am proud to 
cosponsor the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act and 
encourage its immediate passage so we can begin to repay the debt we 
owe to those who stand guard and defend our liberty.

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