Rogers' Military Recruiter Resolution Passes House
Rogers' Military Recruiter Resolution Passes House
Kline, Pombo join bipartisan effort in support of equal campus access
Washington, DC - Military recruiters should be given equal access to college and university campuses and should not be barred unfairly from recruiting our nation's best and brightest, Congressman Mike Rogers said today, as the House passed his resolution in support of the military's recruitment efforts on campus.
By a bipartisan vote of 327-84, the House passed H. Con. Res. 36, a bill which expresses the continued support of Congress for the Solomon Law, federal legislation which helps ensure equal access for military recruiters to institutions of higher education. Rogers said the resolution was necessary given a recent court decision that struck down the statute.
"In our post-9/11 world, I find it unfathomable that publicly funded colleges and universities would unfairly prohibit military personnel from recruiting interested students on campus," Rogers said. "I hope today's bill sends a clear message that Congress will continue to support the provisions of the Solomon Law."
An original co-author of the law, Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA) said that, "schools denying recruitment on their campuses are not only limiting opportunities for their own students, but are doing a disservice to our military men and women, and are ultimately compromising our National security. No university or its law school has the right to prohibit the military from recruiting on their campus and still collect federal money."
Congressman John Kline (R-MN) agreed. "The citizens of the United States benefit from the protection of the most highly qualified and well-trained military. I am hopeful our actions today will put an end to this injustice against our armed services and restore the ability of the U.S. military to serve its citizens most effectively."
Rogers said the House passed a similar piece of legislation last year, H.R. 3966, the ROTC and Military Recruiter Equal Access to Campus Act, and included several of its provisions in the final version of the 2004 Defense Authorization bill.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/al03_rogers/recruiter05res.html