WASHINGTON
A trio of Republican senators, including presumptive presidential nominee John McCain, proposed a package of new educational benefits for service members Tuesday, apparently attempting to counter a broader proposal that originated with Virginia Democrat Jim Webb.
The GOP bill would include a $400 per month increase, to $1,500, in educational benefits payable to active duty troops. Those who stay in the military for 12 years or more could draw up to $2,000 per month in college aid. The legislation also would allow veterans to apply up to $6,000 per year of aid received through the existing Montgomery GI Bill to pay off student loans and would permit veterans to transfer at least part of their GI Bill benefits to their spouses or children.
"Our legislation improves benefits and modernizes the Montgomery G I Bill education program without creating new levels of red tape and bureaucracy," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the co-sponsors, said in a news release. The third co-sponsor of the bill is Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
The new bill's enhanced benefit for service members who stay in uniform for at least 12 years appears geared to address one of the main arguments against Webb's plan - that an enhanced college benefit would encourage experienced troops to leave the military.
Webb's bill, which was reintroduced in February with bipartisan backers including Sen. John Warner, R-Va., would give veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a college stipend equal to the cost of tuition at the most expensive publicly supported school in their state. The vets also would qualify for a monthly housing allowance.
In a statement released late Tuesday, Webb, Warner and Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., noted that their proposal now has 57 co-sponsors and the endorsement of several major veterans' organizations.
The statement said that sponsors of the new bill say the Webb-inspired proposal "is too generous to today's veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, is too difficult to administer, and would unduly harm the retention of our active duty military people. Each of these assertions is wrong."
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GI Bill
As a retired veteran - I absolutely love that comment that the proposed changes to the current GI Bill are "too generous." I know what the current GI Bill is, what it pays for education, how far it goes, etc. The new proposals are LONG OVER DUE. As for "too generous" - tell that to the military - the same people that volunteer to keep your "sit down device" safe, ensure you maintain your liberties and freedoms, ensure you have a safe country and place to live. The same people that volunteer to put their life on the line daily - the same people that play catch on a daily basis with bullets, shrapnel, and bombs. The same people that leave for an overseas tour with two arms and legs and come back with various parts missing - or don't come back at all. "Too generous" - send those senators / representatives overseas and let them do the military's job in the same manner with the same equipment and face the same dangers on a daily basis. And do it for a year or more. Then let's talk about "too generous."
better late than never
Better late than never for repubs to support our troops.
What about Reserves?
What about the National Guard and Reserve troups that are being used in ever increasing numbers? You expect them to be ready to deploy every 2 years for 9 months to a year but they still have 1950's era benefits!