Adler-Conners Introduce Bill to Guarantee
Higher Ed for Returning Vets
TRENTON – In an effort to combat
joblessness and low wages among
New Jersey’s returning combat veterans,
Senator John H. Adler and Assemblyman Jack Conners
have introduced the “New
Jersey
GI Bill” which would provide higher education
benefits to guarantee affordable college education
for those engaged in fighting terrorism overseas.
“At the end of
World War II, America recognized that it owed
something to our returning soldiers, who sacrificed
so much in the name of liberty and freedom,” said
Senator Adler, D-Cherry Hill. “The federal
GI bill made higher education a reality for
our nation’s heroic veterans, many of whom never
would have imagined a college education might be
possible. I am proud to work with Assemblyman
Conners to make sure that the promise of the
GI bill is fulfilled for New Jersey’s
veterans.”
“The
New Jersey
GI Bill would modernize an American tradition
that has enabled generations of
New Jersey veterans to obtain a college
degree,” said Assemblyman Conners, D-Burlington and
Camden. “The brave men and women who have
donned US military uniforms deserve all of the help
we can muster to provide them with assistance in
pursuing their degrees.”
The bill, A-2518 / S-1555, would allow
New Jersey’s veterans, or the spouses of
veterans killed in the line of duty, to pay only $50
a credit in the pursuit of an associate’s,
bachelor’s or graduate degree from any public
institution of higher education in the State. The
benefit would apply to veterans who served in active
duty after
September 11, 2001 in Operations “Enduring
Freedom” and “Iraqi Freedom.” To qualify, the
veterans or their spouses must have been a resident
of the State when called for active duty and at the
time of application for the program, and must apply
for all available State and federal student grant
and scholarship programs to which they may be
entitled.
According to analysis by the Office of
Legislative Services, the annual average cost of
education at one of
New Jersey’s county colleges is $2,126, while
the average cost at a four-year public college is
$9,600. Under this legislation,
New Jersey’s veterans would pay $1,600 a year
for two 16-credit semesters – a full course-load.
However, OLS could not project a cost for the
program, since it could not predict who would take
advantage of the higher education benefit, and what
other grants and scholarships qualifying veterans
might already receive.
“In the fiscal crisis facing
New Jersey, there might be some critics who
don’t think we can afford a program like this,” said
Senator Adler. “However, these educational benefits
would only supplement the other programs that the
State and federal governments already offer to fund
higher education for veterans. And considering the
low wages and unemployment facing many of our
younger veterans, we will pay for them in one form
or another – whether through a college education or
welfare.”
The lawmakers pointed to a recent report
from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department, which
found that in 2005, 23% of veterans age 20 to 24
were not in the labor force – many because they
could not find a job. In addition, half of the
young veterans who did find steady employment were
earning less than $25,000 a year.
“It’s disgraceful that
New Jersey’s young veterans find the door to
opportunity slammed shut in their faces,” said
Senator Adler. “These brave men and women put their
lives on the line to fight for their country, and
return home to find a failing economy and a stagnant
job market. By providing an affordable path to
higher education, we can better prepare our
returning soldiers for the transition to civilian
life.”
Senator Adler and Assemblyman Conners
pointed out that the need for his legislation is
made even more pressing by the fact that 3,000 New
Jersey National Guard members are scheduled to be
deployed to
Iraq in early 2009. The lawmakers suggested
that without an investment in education for these
Guard members, many will be “stranded in the
unemployment line when they come home.”
“If we don’t ensure affordable higher
education for our returning veterans now, we are
abandoning the 3,000 Guard members who are about to
be deployed to lower income brackets and
unemployment,” added Senator Adler. “Given all that
our brave veterans have risked for their country, we
owe them so much more than a lifetime of flipping
burgers.”
