Capt Hank
04-16-2005, 21:02
** House Minority Leaders Announce "GI Bill of Rights."
MOAA's Director of Government Relations, Colonel Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret.) and Deputy Director, Colonel Bob Norton, USA (Ret.) represented the Association at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday where House Democratic leaders introduced a new "GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century."
Minority Leader Pelosi (D-CA), along with Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), and General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.), introduced the legislation. Skelton serves as Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee and Evans is the Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
The GI Bill for the 21st Century would:
Eliminate the SBP-DIC offset (referred to as the "Military Families Tax" at the press conference);
Extend fee-based TRICARE to all members of the National Guard and Reserve forces and their families;
Increase VA health funding by $3.2 billion over the administration's budget request;
Eliminate the "Disabled Veterans Tax" (full concurrent receipt);
Authorize a $1,000 bonus for those who have served in Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan); and
Increase educational and job training benefits under the GI Bill.
"Just as soldiers leave no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind once they've come home," said Pelosi.
Legislation had not been introduced for the new "GI Bill of Rights" as of this writing. But, separate bills already address a number of the initiatives including SBP-DIC (S.185, H.R. 808) and TRICARE for all of the Guard and Reserve (S.337, S.32, H.R. 558). These can be viewed at: http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/bills/.
MOAA's Director of Government Relations, Colonel Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret.) and Deputy Director, Colonel Bob Norton, USA (Ret.) represented the Association at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday where House Democratic leaders introduced a new "GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century."
Minority Leader Pelosi (D-CA), along with Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), and General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.), introduced the legislation. Skelton serves as Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee and Evans is the Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
The GI Bill for the 21st Century would:
Eliminate the SBP-DIC offset (referred to as the "Military Families Tax" at the press conference);
Extend fee-based TRICARE to all members of the National Guard and Reserve forces and their families;
Increase VA health funding by $3.2 billion over the administration's budget request;
Eliminate the "Disabled Veterans Tax" (full concurrent receipt);
Authorize a $1,000 bonus for those who have served in Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan); and
Increase educational and job training benefits under the GI Bill.
"Just as soldiers leave no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind once they've come home," said Pelosi.
Legislation had not been introduced for the new "GI Bill of Rights" as of this writing. But, separate bills already address a number of the initiatives including SBP-DIC (S.185, H.R. 808) and TRICARE for all of the Guard and Reserve (S.337, S.32, H.R. 558). These can be viewed at: http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/bills/.