Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Clinton Introduces New GI Bill for Veterans

Iowa Veteran Applauds Clinton Effort

DES MOINES, IA -- Today, Iowa Veteran John Feller applauded Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's effort to expand the Montgomery GI Bill to give soldiers, veterans and their families some extra tools to assist them in readjusting to civilian life after serving in combat after September 11, 2001. WWII and Korean War Veteran John Feller of Des Moines said, "Hillary's work to take care of our soldiers after serving our country is honorable, and I sincerely hope she gets the support she needs to give make her vision a reality in the US Senate. She recognizes the commitment these soldiers have made to our country. I'm glad Senator Clinton is standing up for us yet again by working to expand the GI Bill."

Senator Clinton introduced the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights Act of 2007 in the US Senate to make more education and financial benefits available to all service members who've served overseas in combat operation since September 11, 2001, as well as Active Duty personnel who've served a minimum of two years since then. National Guard and Reserve personnel who've served a minimum aggregate of two years on Active Duty since September 11, 2007 would also be eligible for benefits.

"The GI Bill has helped millions of soldiers transition successfully to civilian life and it has been one of the best investments we have made as a nation. Now it is time to update and modernize the GI Bill for the 21st century to meet the needs of today's soldiers, veterans and their families, from education to housing and microloans to start a small business. This is the right way to invest in the future of our service members and reward the service they have given to our country," said Senator Clinton.

Since September 11th, the Iowa National Guard has deployed more than 9,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, which is more than 90% of the state's 9,700 strong force, and currently almost a thousand Guard service members are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. As long as the soldiers met the two year requirement, under Senator Clinton's legislation, they would be eligible to receive the education and financial benefits she's proposed.

Senator Clinton's new GI Bill would extend the current program benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill to help more soldiers. Some of those benefits include funding eight semesters of undergraduate education for service members and expanding access to home and small business loans. More specifically, the bill would increase veterans housing opportunities by exempting them from paying loan fees and would expand their ability to purchase, build, repair or improve a home.

The bill would also establish a Veterans Microloan Program to provide veterans microloans for entrepreneurial ventures up to $100,000 with interest rates capped at 2.5 percent and without requiring collateral.

The 21st Century GI Bill of Rights Act is endorsed by veterans service organizations including: The Reserve Officers Association, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, AmVets, Military Officers Association of America, and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association.