Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., introduced new GI Bill legislation in early 2007. Despite some initial concern over its cost, Congress eventually approved Webb’s bill and Saturday it went into effect — just in time for thousands of post-9/11 veterans to enroll in classes that begin this fall.
The Associated Press called the new legislation “the most comprehensive education benefit offered since World War II,” and estimated that $78 billion will be paid out to college-bound veterans over the next 10 years.
We supported this legislation from the outset because the educational benefit for veterans had not kept up with the times. The first GI Bill was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944. It paid nearly all of the expenses that an honorably discharged veteran would encounter during four years of college.
By the time Webb, a Marine veteran of Vietnam and a former secretary of the Navy, introduced his legislation, the educational benefit for veterans was not even coming close to meeting the costs of tuition and other college expenses.
The new educational benefit covers full tuition at state colleges and universities, and provides stipends for housing and books. Veterans choosing to attend private schools will not be left out — they will receive benefits equaling what they would have received had they chosen a state school.
One of the persistent problems that post-9/11 veterans encountered after being discharged was finding employment. The economy plunged after the terrorist attacks and was slow to revive. Then the recession hit. Veterans were often left without any real plan for their future.
This new GI Bill changes their outlook. Now they will be able to afford college and learn skills that will brighten their employment chances. The bill also brightens the future of colleges and universities, and the country.
Veterans will add to the enriching diversity of campuses, and when they begin graduating, businesses will begin seeing a big improvement in the workforce.
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