House votes for more family education benefits

[unhappycamper]

House votes for more family education benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 8, 2008 9:56:06 EST

The House of Representatives passed a major education bill that includes a promise of in-state tuition for the families of service members, a scholarship program for military families and special centers to help veterans finish college degrees.

The bill, HR 4137, now goes to the Senate, where changes are possible. But its passage by a 354-58 vote on Thursday is just the start of what could be a year of many education initiatives for military families, which have gained the green light after President Bush announced he supports allowing active-duty service members to transfer some of their GI Bill education benefits to their spouse or children.

Reps. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, and Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., were the chief sponsors of the amendment promising in-state tuition for military dependents as long as their military sponsor was either a resident of the state or stationed in the state when the student started college. If the military sponsor is reassigned, in-state tuition would continue to apply, something that does not always happen today.

“One of the many hardships military families face when they move from base to base is their children’s inability to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public universities,” Edwards said. “Given the sacrifices being made by our military families, it is wrong to raise a military child’s college tuition by $10,000 to $20,000 a year when a parent is re-stationed to a military base in a different state.

“Granting military children the ability to pay in-state tuition rates throughout the country means many will no longer have to give up their education goals when their parents’ military orders come in,” said Edwards, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military quality of life programs.


Rest of aticle at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_education_080207w/