Rep. Barry Moore pro-Veteran bills pass the House of Representatives

Press Release

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Barry Moore, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs released the following statement after two of his bills, the Colonel John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act and the Overseeing the GI Bill Act of 2021 passed the U.S. House of Representatives as amendments to the GI Bill NEED Act:

"When my constituents sent me to Washington, I promised them that I would fight for our Veterans to get the help they deserve, and that's exactly what I'm doing," said Rep. Moore. "The passage of the GI Bill NEED Act, which included two of my bills, takes positive strides towards offering better support for our nation's heroes and their families here at home, and I am grateful to Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for their commitment to helping our Veterans."

"My family and I are honored and humbled that the COL John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act is named after my dad. My father believed in the power of education and knowing, in his memory, that Gold Star children will now have access to college educations, regardless of which state the university they wish to attend is located, would have meant the world to him. As a military child, "home' is all over the country, sometimes all over the world. By the time I graduated high school, I'd moved eleven different times. I didn't call just one state home, rather, I called the U.S. as a whole, the nation my father would die for, my home. Having the chance to attend Kansas State University was a wonderful opportunity for me while we were stationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS. Now, as family resides in the state of Alabama, my younger siblings will benefit from this change for in-state tuition as well. The chance to go to any university in this great country is a huge opportunity for children like my siblings and me, and we're grateful to Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Senators Moran and Tester and Representatives Moore and Trone for making it happen." - Kelly McHugh Stewart, surviving daughter of Colonel John M. McHugh

"Veterans spend years on active duty based throughout the country and the world. When they leave service, they often settle in a different area than their home state. This bill will recognize their service and ensure that their patriotism is not grounds for discrimination."- Chairman John B. Wells, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc

Background:

The Colonel John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act:

This bill extends in-state tuition benefits under the GI Bill for dependents and survivors of eligible Veterans through the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program, which provides funding for higher education for survivors and dependents of certain servicemembers who died on active duty or were found to be 100% service-related disabled or died due to a service-connected disability. This change would bring the rules for this program in line with the Post 9/11 GI Bill and is a common-sense solution to help our heroes' families meet their higher education goals.

Overseeing the GI Bill Act of 2021:

This bill requires the VA to submit a series of reports to provide much-needed oversight of the VA's new digital GI Bill Project. In the last 15 years, every major upgrade to the GI Bills programs has witnessed IT failures. To safeguard against failures in the VA's most recent modernization contract, the bill would require the VA to submit a base level report that provides information on costs, associated outcomes for processing times, and would require subsequent reports to ensure transparency. These reports will allow Congress to measure the VA's efficacy and ensure the most effective use of taxpayer dollars.

Source