THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR JAY ROCKEFELLER.

Washington, DC – Senator Jay Rockefeller last night praised the Senate for voting to support landmark bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding the educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill. As a result, West Virginia’s veterans who have served in the military since September 11, 2001, now have the opportunity to receive a fully funded education in return for their devoted service.

The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, also referred to as the Webb GI Bill, was included as part of supplemental appropriations legislation that funds ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The GI bill sent millions of returning veterans from World War II to college and trade school to help build a better life for them and their families. Over the years, the GI Bill has failed to keep pace with rising tuition costs and can’t meet the needs of today’s men and women who are serving in uniform,” Rockefeller said. “Strengthening this benefit is absolutely the right thing to do to allow a new generation of soldiers, sailors, air men and Marines the opportunity to achieve the dream of a college education for themselves and their families.”

Senator Rockefeller, who cosponsored the bill earlier this year, noted that it will cover full tuition, housing and fees at any public university or technical school for four years. In recent weeks, the bill was modified to allow service members, who stay in the military, the ability to transfer their education benefits to their spouses and their children.

“Young people have sacrificed so much, and they deserve a bright and stable future once their wartime service is over,” Rockefeller said.

The original GI Bill was passed in 1944 and helped to send millions of World War II veterans to college. It is universally credited with sparking an explosion of economic growth and expansion for an entire generation of Americans.

However, the tuition benefits offered under the program have failed to keep pace with the skyrocketing costs of college. As a result, the tuition benefits are only a fraction of what’s necessary to complete a college education.

To turn that around, the Rockefeller-supported bill indexes the tuition benefits under the GI Bill to the real cost of tuition and housing at a college. By the time a veteran finishes school, the full cost of attendance and housing will be paid. The bill also extends the time a soldier or veteran can collect education benefits from 10 to15 years.

To help defray the cost of books and other college fees, the bill provides a $1,000 stipend each semester. Additionally, costs for tutors, as well as licensure and certification tests, will now be covered under the GI Bill.

Additionally, the new bill eliminates the existing GI Bill’s enrollment fee. Under the existing GI Bill, soldiers had to “buy-in” to get benefits at $100 a month for a total of $1200. Rockefeller noted that this is an important change since veterans have earned these benefits, and their families need that $100 per month when the soldier is overseas and in combat to help make ends meet.

President Bush had threatened to veto the entire supplemental appropriations bill if it included the expanded veterans’ benefits because he believed that the tuition incentives were too generous and too expensive. After weeks of intense pressure by Senator Rockefeller and his colleagues, the President relented and finally agreed to sign the bill.