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Veteran/Military, Education & Congressional Coalition Seek Updated Version of Montgomery GI Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This nation cannot keep a promise it made to veterans unless the Montgomery GI Bill is brought into line with today's cost of education, a coalition of congressional, higher education, and veteran/military groups said Wednesday.
The "Partnership for Veterans' Education: Fulfilling America's Promise" wants to restore the higher education purchasing power that once made the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) a strong military recruiting tool. Outside the Capitol steps Partnership members lined up behind House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Benefits Chairman Jack Quinn (R-NY) and Ranking Democratic Member Bob Filner (D-CA) to begin this year's push to update the MGIB.
The MGIB is the successor of the 1944 GI Bill of Rights, which speakers called one of the most important measures ever passed by Congress. A major reason young men and women join the military, they said, is the educational opportunity. The President's fiscal year 2001 budget proposal did not recommend upgrading the MGIB, although it did include more than $30 billion in other new educational initiatives.
Chairman Quinn, Mr. Filner, and other lawmakers repeated their commitment to closing the gap between the current MGIB allowance and the cost of higher education. Speakers said the fact that only about half of veterans use even part of their MGIB benefits proves it doesn't meet their needs.
The MGIB was named for its author, former House VA Committee Chairman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery (D-MS), who spoke at the press conference. Also speaking were Stan Ikenberry, President, American Council on Education; Robert F. Norton, Deputy Director of Government Relations, the Retired Officers Association; David W. Sommers, 11th Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps; and Kenneth Steadman, Executive Director, The Veterans of Foreign Wars. The Partnership for Veterans' Education: Fulfilling America's Promise comprises 47 organizations from the veterans, uniformed services and higher education communities.
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