McGeehan
CHARLESTON Once again, an attempt to move a bill prohibiting use of West Virginia’s civilian soldiers and airmen in combat, except when Congress gives approval, failed in the House of Delegates.
Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, made a motion Friday morning to discharge House Bill 2138, the Defend the Guard Act, from the House Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Committee where the bill has sat since Feb. 10. The motion would have sent the bill directly to the House Judiciary Committee. The motion failed 26-71 with bipartisan opposition.
A discharge motion, if approved by a majority of the House, moves a bill from the committee it is in to the House floor where it can be passed after three separate days of readings.
Congress Closes Loophole That Made Veterans a Target of For-Profit Schools
The new economic stimulus package makes a tiny change that military veterans pushed for in hopes of stemming aggressive recruiting tactics.
“They heard our voices, for once, and they righted the wrong,” said Tasha Berkhalter, an Army veteran who met with lawmakers last year.Credit.Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times
March 11, 2021
Military veterans have long been prized recruits at for-profit schools. The $1.9 trillion stimulus bill signed by President Biden on Thursday may change that.
For more than a decade, former service members who were defrauded by predatory institutions have pushed to close a loophole that gave an incentive to for-profit schools to enroll veterans. After a bipartisan deal last week, Congress included that change in the stimulus bill, handing veterans’ groups a major legislative victory.
Proposed Legislation Would Supercharge GI Bill Benefits for National Guard
National Guard members walk from Union Station to the Capitol Building as events get under way for President-elect Joe Biden s inauguration ceremony, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
11 Mar 2021
A new bill introduced in the House would make it much easier for National Guard troops to accrue GI Bill benefits.
On Thursday, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., introduced the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act, which aims to eliminate most of the confusion over which types of duty allow Guard troops to qualify for federal education benefits, instead greenlighting all days in service, including weekend drills and state active duty, to count toward the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a former Marine corporal. (Courtesy Rep. Ruben Gallego)
9 Mar 2021
Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps veteran and a rising progressive representing a deep-blue district in the Phoenix area. And he is quickly becoming one of the most high-profile lawmakers who works on military and veterans issues on Capitol Hill.
Part of what makes Gallego successful in the military policy arena is his unique background. He served as a grunt in the profane, coarse and often lewd culture of combat arms, which gives him street cred in D.C. military circles. He now serves in the clean-cut halls of Congress and leads a newly formed subpanel overseeing intel and special operations.