Tag Archives: veterans

On This Date Over Six Decades Ago the G.I. Bill Became Law

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Sixty-six years ago, on June 22, 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt singed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (a.k.a. G.I. Bill of Rights).

The impact of this single piece of legislation has been monumental over the years.

  • Before WWII fewer than 15 percent of high school graduates earned college degrees. By 1950 nearly 500,000 Americans had graduated from college compared to 160,000 in 1939 as a result of the educational benefits provided under this legislation.
  • Under this program, approximately 2.4 million ex-service personnel took out home loans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which were low-interest and zero-down- payment loans.
  • Under the 52-20 clause, all former service personnel were entitled to receive $20 a week for 52 weeks a year, while they looked for work.

Chair of U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Introduced Legislation to Improve Vet Benefits Program

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This week Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (S. 3447)  as a starting point for discussion among Congress, veterans service organizations, and concerned Americans who want to improve the program.

The Act is intended to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits program by improving educational assistance for veterans who served in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001 and for other purposes.

U.S. Senate Committee Holds Hearing on G.I. Bill Implementation

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Last week the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on the implementation of the new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

The focus of the hearing was to identify problems encountered to date with the implementation of the legislation and learn how they were addressed. In addition, committee members focused on understanding what needs to occur to ensure the benefits are delivered in a timely and accurate way.

Those who testsified at the hearing highlighted several key issues with regard to the  implemenation of the legislation including:

  • Long delays
  • Financial strain while waiting for education benefits
  • Difficulty for higher education institutions to accomodate veterans while waiting for funding
  • Variations in tuition benefits by state and student enrollment
  • Short-turn around for implementation of legislation

Some of the solutions that were taken to address these problems included the issuance of emergency advance payments and redirection of staffing within the Veterans’ Administration (VA) to processing claims.

In addition, the Veterans’ Administration has partnered with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic to develop an end-to-end claims processing solution that utilizes rules-based, industry-standard technologies for the delivery of education benefits.  This is the VA’s long-term strategy for implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Federal Legislation Introduced by Senator Patty Murray Would Improve Veterans Services

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Senator Murray, acknowledging the difficult job market and relatively inflated unemployment rates among veterans, has urged a commitment by the Federal government to veterans. Among its provisions, the legislation would:

  • Expand the GI bill to allow veterans to use benefits for apprenticeships and worker training programs in addition to college
  • Establish a Veterans Business Center program to help vets starting their own businesses
  • Create pilot programs to help vets utilize and expand technical skills learned in the military and market those skills to the civilian work force
  • Create the Veterans Conservation Corps, modeled on Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which created jobs and facilitated construction projects around the country
  • Require a study that could lead to the expansion of the National Guard Employment Enhancement Project, which provides career transition assistance to National Guard members

Funding for the legislation is still pending a report from the Congressional Budget Office, but the bill already has bipartisan support in the Senate.

House and Senate Meet Legislative Deadline and Move More Bills Forward

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Yesterday marked the last deadline for the Washington State Legislature prior to adjournment on March 11. By end of day Friday, March 5 the House and Senate must have considered bills from the opposite chamber with the exception of initiatives and bills that are needed to implement the budget.

The action on the floor in each chamber moved several bills of interest to Evergreen forward in the process. Here is a breakdown of the most recent bills that have moved forward.

The House passed Senate Bill 6696 with a vote of 76-22. SB 6696 comprises several policy changes to K-12 to make Washington more competitive for Race to the Top dollars, including policies and structural changes in the areas of school and teacher evaluation, assessment, and preparation.

The bill passd the House with several amendments added to the final version. Of most importance to Evergreen was an amendment that striked language that was of concern to us and replaced it with language that we preferred. The language that was striked would have required the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to select up to three community colleges to offer a BA plus teaching certificate in a subject matter shortage area.

The language that replaced this portion of the bill directs the Council of Presidents to convene an inter-institutional work group to implement plans prepared by the four-year institutions of higher education in response to a proviso in the 2009-2011 biennial budget regarding increasing the number of mathematics and science teachers. Requires the COP to report to the Education and Higher Education Committees on demonstrated progress toward achieving the outcomes identified in the plans by December 31, 2011.

Senate Bill 6696 now goes to the Senate for concurrence.

The Senate took action on four bills of interest to Evergreen – Senate Bill 6409 and House Bills 2403, 2776, and 2973.

Senate Bill 6409 creates the he Washington Opportunity Pathways Account. Beginning in state fiscal year 2011, all net revenues from in-state lottery games that are not otherwise dedicated to debt service on the Safeco Stadium and Qwest Field and Exhibition Center are dedicated to the new account.

The Washington Opportunity Pathways Account is subject to appropriation by the Legislature, and may only be used for the following programs: recruitment of entrepreneurial researchers, innovation partnership zones, and research teams; the early childhood education and assistance program (ECEAP); the State Need Grant; the State Work Study program; College Bound Scholarships; Washington Promise Scholarships; Washington Scholars; the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE); the Passport to College Promise; the Educational Opportunity Grant; and GET Ready for Math & Science Scholarships.

The bill was amended on the Senate floor in two ways: (1) All net income from the multi-state lottery games, other than those dedicated to the Problem Gambling Account, will be deposited into the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account rather than into the General Fund and (2) Clarifies that implementation of new marketing strategies may begin prior to the required reports to the Legislature on those strategies.

Senate Bill 6409 now goes to the House for further consideration.

House Bill 2403 passed the Senate 48-0. HB 2403 expands the use of military leave to include state active duty and clarifies that military leave may only be charged for the days the person is normally scheduled to work for the state or local government.

House Bill 2403 was not amended by the House so does not need to return to the Senate for concurrence.  HB 2403 has been delivered to the Governor for her signature.

House Bill 2776 passed the Senate with a vote of 47-0. HB 2776 implements the recommendations by the Quality Education Council. Of particular interest to Evergreen the bill changes timelines, moves them up a year, for technical working groups on compensation and local finance and puts the Compensation Working Group under the lead direction of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, rather than the Office of Financial Management.

House Bill 2776 now goes back to the House for concurrence.

House Bill 2973 passed with a vote of 46-0 in the Senate. HB 2973 expands the definition of resident student to include a student who resides in Washington and is on active military duty stationed in one of the nine Oregon border counties. In addition, spouses and dependents of active military members stationed in one of the border counties and living in Washington are also eligible for in-state tuition rates as long as the spouse or dependent also resides in Washington. If the person on active military duty moves from Washington or is reassigned out of one of the Oregon border counties, his or her spouse or dependent maintains resident status so long as the spouse or dependent resides in Washington and is continuously enrolled in a degree program.

House Bill 2973 was not amended in the Senate so there is no need for the House to concur on any changes. HB 2973 now goes to the Governor for her signature.

Evergreen Focuses on the Economy

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House and Senate policy committees continue to push forward through the hundreds of bills referred to their committees earlier this week.

Evergreen spent the day engaging legislators in discussions and testimony focused on economic development.

In the morning, the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5041. SB 5041 establishes a statewide program to increase state procurement contracts with veteran-owned businesses. State agencies, including higher education, are encouraged to award 3 percent of all procurement contracts under $35,000 in value to certified veteran-owned businesses. Evergreen provided written testimony to the committee in support of the bill.  No further action beyond the hearing has been scheduled for the bill.

In the afternoon, Evergreen joined representatives from a variety of other organizations and groups (i.e. labor, environmental, K-12) to talk with legislators about House Bill 2561. HB 2561, referred to in the media as the Jobs Creation Bill, authorizes the State to  issue $861 million in general obligation bonds for the purpose of creating jobs by constructing capital improvements that lead to energy-related cost savings in public schools, state colleges and universities, and other public facilities.

Evergreen has supported HB 2561 since the beginning of session. The bill, if passed, could potentially provide the College with financial resources to implement energy-related projects and perhaps funding to construct Evergreen’s Biomass Gasification Project.