Aumua’s Veterans Education Bill Moving Quickly
Washington, D.C. –Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, and the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity conducted a mark-up of several bills that had been submitted to the committee, including Congresswoman Amata’s bill, the Veterans Education Enhancement Act of 2016 (H.R. 5174).
Congresswoman Amata and the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
conduct a markup of several bills that will assist our veterans
“Sometimes things actually do get done rather quickly around here,” said Amata. “I am encouraged by the fact that within 24 hours of introducing my legislation, which will help our veterans better utilize their G.I. Bill benefit, the subcommittee has conducted a markup on the legislation and passed it on to the full committee,” continued Amata.
The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity markup on Wednesday morning focused on several bills under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction including Congresswoman Amata’s bill and; H.R. 3286, the HIRE Vets Act; H.R. 5178, the Veterans Success on Campus Act; H.R. 5175, the G.I. Bill Oversight Act; and H.R. 4138, legislation that would authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup relocation expenses paid to or on behalf of employees of the VA. Each bill passed the markup and will now move to the full committee for consideration.
Specifically, Congresswoman Amata’s legislation H.R. 5174, institutes several modifications to the G.I. Bill including, changing entitlement charges on licensing and certification tests, as well as national tests, so that a veteran’s G.I. Bill eligibility is only charged at a pro-rated amount, instead of one month’s entitlement as is under current law. This provision will allow students to pay for the tests, while minimizing the impact to their G.I. Bill entitlement. Currently, the entitlement is charged one month for every $1,759.08 paid to the student, which means students who take these tests are being charged an entire month’s entitlement…even for low-cost tests that fall far below that amount. This has caused unnecessary financial distress on those veterans, service members, and their families who utilize their G.I. Bill entitlement. H.R. 5174 would rectify this issue.
“I am pleased that the committee has seen the importance of this issue and passed it through the first markup very quickly,” said Amata. “I want to once again thank Chairman Wenstrup and my fellow colleagues on the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity for their support of my measure and look forward to seeing it signed into law by President Obama,” concluded Amata.
Fa’aulu e Amata le Pili e Fa’ateleina ai Fa’amanuiaga tau A’oa’oga a Fitafita Tuai (Vetereni)
Uosigitone D.C. Aso Lua.O le taeao o le aso na fa’auluina ai e le afioga i le Faipule o le Konekeresi o Amata le Tulafono Taufa’aofi (Pili) e Fa’aopoopo i Fa’amanuiaga tau A’oa’oga e maua e Vetereni o le 2016 (H.R. 5174). O le fa’amoemoe o lenei pili e fai ni suiga i le Pili mo Fitafita (G.I. Bill) e si’itia ma fa’aleleia atili ai fa’amanuiaga mo nai o tatou fitafita tuai ma fitafita o lo’o tautua nei ma nai o latou aiga.
Saunoa Amata, “E onomea i o tatou fitafita i vaega’au, vetereni (fitafita tuai) ma o latou aiga ona maua le mea sili i le itu tau fa’amanuiaga ona o le tautua sa latou tautiga ai. E aofia ai le aua ne’i soona fa’amaualugaina le totogi o suega ma le tau o tagata a’oa’oina fa’apitoa e fesoasoani ia i latou i le fa’atumuina o a latou pepa talosaga mo fa’amanuiaga tau a’oa’oga.”
O le Iugafono a le Maota 5174 (H.R. 5174), o lo’o fa’atulaga mai ai nai suiga i le Pili lea mo Fitafita (G.I.Bill), e aofia ai suiga i mea tau laisene ma le pasia o suega, e pei o suega aoao,ina ia totogi ai e le vetereni agava’a i le G.I. Bill vaegatupe ua vaevae tutusa ma talafeagai a e le o le totogi o le masina atoa e pei ona alu ai i le taimi nei le tulafono. O le aiaiga lea o le a mafai ai e i latou e aoga ona totogi a latou suega, a ua fa’aititia ai le mamafa sa a’afia ai a latou fa’amanuiaga mai le G.I. Bill. O le tulaga o loo i ai nei, e totogi e le vaega lea,
Se vaegatupe e $1,759.08 i le vetereni lea e aoga, o lona uiga o vetereni uma lava e su’e i nei su’ega latou te totogiina su’ega mai a latou fa’amanuiaga e maua i masina ta’itasi…e o’o lava i su’ega e maualalo le tupe e totogi nai le aofaiga ua taua. O le itu lea ua fai ma avega mamafa i tupe fa’asoa a nai vetereni, ma i latou o lo’o tautua i le malo, ma o latou aiga o lo’o faaaoga a latou fa’amanuiaga mai le G.I. Bill. O le Iugafono a le Maota 5174 na te foia le fa’afitauli lea.
O le pili foi lenei na te fa’atonuina le vaega o Vetereni e feutana’i ma Sui Mautofi e Pasia nei suega, e fa’avae se porokalama tau a’oa’oga mo i latou e togiina su’ega e fa’atatau i le G.I. Bill. Afai e le’i su’e ai se tasi e pasia nei suega i lenei a’oa’oga mo se vaitaimi talafeagai, e mafai e le VA ona ave’ese le fa’amaoniga mai lea aoga mo fa’amanuiaga e mai le G.I. Bill. Ua ripotia foi e i latou e fa’atautaia nei suega i le komiti ua avea le aofia ai o lenei aiaiga o le a fesoasoani e u’una’ia aoga e fai lenei aoaoga, o le a fesoasoani i vetereni nei e aooga e faaaoga tatau a latou fa’amanuiaga tau tupe, ma mautinoa ai o lo’o alu sa’o tupe a le ‘autotogi lafoga.
O le Tulafono foi lenei e Si’itia ai A’oa’oga a Vetereni e le fa’atagaina ai ona faaaoga tupe mo ripoti i aoga mai le VA mo fa’aputugatupe aoao a le aoga. O le aiaiga lenei e fa’amautinoa ai o tupe nei mo le faiga o ripoti o lo’o faaaoga tatau mo le faamoemoe ---o le a’oa’oga o tagata e togiina pe pasia su’ega.
I le ma le toe mataupu o le a aoga foi le Iugafono lenei (H.R 5174) e fa’alautele ai le toefa’atagaga o le Komiti Faufautua a le VA i mataupu tau Aoga seia o’o ia Tesema 31, 2021, aua o lea e tu’u e fa’amuta i le fa’aiuga o le tausaga nei. O le fa’amoemoe o le komiti o le fautua lea i le Failautusi o Mataupu tau Vetereni, i le fa’atautaia lea o aoaoga ma le toleniga o fitafita tuai, fitafita o lo’o tautua nei, fa’aleoleo, ma o latou aiga.
Na fa’ai’u le saunoaga a Amata e faapea, “E fia momoli atu la’u fa’afetai i Fa’alapotopotoga Lagolago a Vetereni ma le Ta’ita’ifono o le Komiti a le Maota mo Vetereni ma Avanoa tau le Tamaoaiga, o Brad Wenstrup, ona o la latou lagolago i lenei tulafono ma o le a tele le si’itaga o avanoa mo aoga maualuluga mo nai o tatou vetereni, i latou o lo’o tautua pea i le malo, ma o latou aiga. E tatau foi ona papaaveloa la tatou pitola’au ina ia mautinoa o lo’o maua e i latou avanoa uma e manuia ai a latou taumafaiga, ma o le tulafono taufa’aofi tonu lava lenei o le a mafai ai.