Senator Murray Applauds Passage of Post-9/11 GI Bill Expansion that Includes Job Training for Veterans

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded the passage of a bill to expand benefits
for veterans who served after the attacks of September 11^th. The
Post-9/11 GI Bill package passed the Senate today by unanimous consent and
expands opportunities for veterans to use their benefits for education,
apprenticeship, and on-the-job training programs. Earlier this year, Senator
Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced
the Veterans’
Employment Act of 2010, a bill that would have allowed veterans to use GI
Bill benefits for workforce training programs.

“The doors to Washington state’s
colleges were thrown open to thousands of veterans with the passage of the
Post-9/11 GI Bill. Now, we can include certificate and apprenticeship programs
to the list of open doors for the brave men and women who volunteered to serve
after the tragic events of September 11^th,” said Senator Murray. “This
new package makes it easier for some veterans to use their benefits to pay for
tuition at public and private universities, and others who want to enroll in
training programs that will place them directly in the workforce, helping us
get our economy back on track.”

The bill expands benefits to
veterans by:

• Including
  members of the National Guard who were previously excluded from Post-9/11 GI
  Bill benefits
• Increasing
  tuition assistance, living, and book allowance, to meet the high cost of both
  public and private universities
• Allowing
  the use of benefits for certification, apprenticeship, and licensing courses