21st Century GI Bill Passes Through Senate

[Derek Blumke]

SVA,

Today the United States Senate passed a bill which will provide a
future for our nations veterans and our country as a whole. Senator
Jim Webb’s S.22, “21st Century GI Bill” passed by an overwhelming
majority in the Senate by a vote of 75-22. Though the bill still must
go before the President, who has already vowed to veto the bill, the
bill WILL become a reality.

“The 21st Century GI Bill” will allow veterans to attend college and
will no longer be forced to go to work, rather than going to school.
In addition, this bill will enable veterans to choose the better
bigger universities rather than being forced to make the choice of
attending a smaller school and scrape by or go to the more reputable
school and graduate in debt.

This bill has passed because of the dedication and initiative of
Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel, but is also the result of the hard
work done by the VFW, IAVA, and the other veteran service
organizations. With that said, the S.22 has passed because of the hard
work and the energy many of you have brought to the fight.

Student Vet groups in Florida, New Hamshire, Kentucky, Kansas,
Pennsylvania, and Oregon, just to name a few, stood up and became part
of the fight. Your members made phone calls, emails, contacted the
media, and made this an issue for any senator who was opposing the
bill. I was in D.C. over the past few days fighting for it, and in
every senate office I could feel what you had been doing. YOU are the
reason this happened, and you are the reason our fellow vets and those
who are currently in Iraq and Afghanistan will be given the
opportunity at a first class education, and a first class future.

While in D.C. I coordinated with many of you, where you fought in your
district. You were in your state’s fighting and I was in your
senator’s offices, and together we DEMANDED a reformed GI Bill. Those
demands were answered.

The fight is not yet over, as the bill still must go before the
President and will most likely be vetoed. When the veto happens we
will get back to work and we will ensure S.22 becomes law.

Again, great work and I look forward to meeting you in person at our
national conference in D.C. on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of June.
Best regards,

-Derek

Derek Blumke
President
Student Veterans of America
derek....@studentveterans.org

“The nation that makes a great distinction between its warriors and
its scholars will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting
done by fools” -Thucydides