Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud to introduce the GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act of 2012.

My colleagues, including my fellow Veterans' Affairs Committee Members Senators AKAKA, BEGICH, BROWN of Ohio and ROCKEFELLER, and my Senate colleagues Senators COONS, HARKIN, INOUYE, LEAHY, and Whitehouse, join me in introducing this important legislation. I appreciate their continued support of our Nation's veterans.

With the end of the war in Iraq and the drawdown in Afghanistan, more servicemembers are separating from the military to start their civilian careers. When my father came home from war, the GI Bill helped him go to college. He used that education to get a job, one that gave him pride. That's the opportunity we must provide those returning from today's wars.

America's investment in its newest generation of veterans is tremendous.

In 2012, over 590,000 servicemembers, veterans, and other beneficiaries are expected to enroll in educational institutions using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA is expected to spend over $9 billion dollars in 2012 on Post-9/11 GI Bill payments and over $2 billion for the nearly 400,000 beneficiaries of the VA's other education programs. Despite this level of support, those returning from today's wars are unable to use VA educational benefits to their full potential. Today, that ends.

At its heart, the GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act would take significant steps to make certain that GI Bill beneficiaries have access to information to help them make informed decisions about the educational institutions they attend, so they get the most out of this tremendous benefit. This bill would also require VA and DoD to develop a joint policy to curb aggressive recruiting and misleading marketing aimed at servicemembers and veterans so they can make a decision on a school without bad actors exerting unfair influence on them.

Many servicemembers and veterans attend educational institutions that do not suit their intended goals. This shouldn't be the case. Servicemembers and veterans should enroll in educational institutions which put them on the path to a successful career, or allow them to access more post-secondary education opportunities. For many years we have provided VA educational beneficiaries with billions of dollars in educational assistance, but have given them little to no assistance in deciding where to use these benefits. This bill would put an end to that.

The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act calls for disclosure of, among other data, statistics related to student loan debt, transferability of credits earned, veteran enrollment, program

preparation for licensing and certification, and job placement rates. heard from many veterans that this type of information would be very useful to them as they make decisions about where to enroll.

My bill would also require VA to provide educational beneficiaries with easy-to-understand information about schools that are approved for GI Bill benefit use. Collecting data for data's sake is not the goal here. I want VA to use this information to develop a report card of sorts that allows veterans to see how one school compares against another to help them decide which school is right for them.

We must acknowledge the differences between student veterans and their civilian classmates. Unlike their classmates, servicemembers and veterans need to know what services institutions provide to ease their difficult transition to civilian life. Some educational institutions provide more support than others.

The University of Washington, one of the oldest public universities in my home state, serves as an example of what all universities should be doing. Through its Veterans Center, the University of Washington offers its student veterans a place to connect with other veterans, access university resources, and receive referrals to campus and community resources that help to balance academic and personal demands. The University of Washington is helping to ease the transition from the battlefield to the classroom, and these types of services should be replicated across the country.

Despite this bright spot, I have heard from servicemembers and veterans who don't think their schools are in touch with the assistance that VA and other Agencies can provide to them. The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act would require educational institutions to have at least one employee who is knowledgeable about benefits available to servicemembers and veterans.

My bill would further require that academic advising, tutoring, career and placement counseling services, and referrals to Vet Centers are available and that faculty members are trained on matters that are relevant to servicemembers and veterans. I want to make sure that each educational institution that is approved for GI Bill education benefits has the support services that student veterans need in order to make the most of their educational experience. No veteran should step on a college campus in this country and feel unsupported.

I am concerned about what I am seeing and hearing about groups who mislead our servicemembers and veterans--just to boost enrollment of students with a very lucrative benefit. The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act would require VA and DoD to develop a joint policy on aggressive recruiting and misleading marketing aimed at servicemembers, veterans, and other beneficiaries.

When servicemembers and veterans make a decision about a school--it should be done with their own best interests at heart, and in consultation with their families and those Agencies with a mandate to help them. The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act would make educational counseling available to more beneficiaries. As long as a beneficiary has educational entitlement--counseling from VA would be available. I really want VA to be proactive in its efforts to get these servicemembers and veterans in for counseling. This is an important step in choosing a school and career path and one that I hope that more student veterans take advantage of.

This is not a full summary of all the provisions within this legislation. However, I hope that I have provided an appropriate overview of the major benefits this legislation would provide for America's servicemembers after they leave military service. I also ask our colleagues for their continued support for the Nation's veterans.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.

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