GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013
Floor Speech
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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida, Chairman Miller, for all of his good work on behalf of our true American heroes, and I also want to thank the ranking member for his good work on behalf of this particular bill and all of its provisions.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 357, the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013. This is an important package of veterans' legislation, of which I am a cosponsor, that works to increase access for our Nation's heroes and the benefits they have earned through their service to our country. In particular, I want to highlight three sections of this legislation that I am very proud to support.
H.R. 357 will make informed changes to the GI Bill program that will allow States to jump-start the process to provide instate tuition to veterans. The bill would require that in order for an educational institution to receive GI Bill funding, they must offer instate tuition to veterans, regardless of the veteran's residency. That is the least we can do. And I really appreciate the chair sponsoring this provision.
Mr. Speaker, our members of the armed services are not given options as to where they will reside. They move according to the needs of the military. It is only fitting that, when these veterans use their earned benefits, they are not penalized because of residency requirements that they have no control over.
H.R. 357 also provides an extension of the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, also originally sponsored by our chair. This important program offers 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60. Again, it is the least we can do. During these difficult economic times, it is important that we do everything we can to assist our veterans in their job search and retraining efforts.
I also want to commend the chairman for another provision, and it is the VA's patients' privacy act. And, of course, we need to give our veterans the privacy that they so deserve, as patients.
I would like to urge all our Members to support this great bill.
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