Madam Chair:
I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
No group better exemplifies the power of what college education can accomplish in building on practical life experience than that of our nation’s servicemen and women.
So many of my state’s and our nation’s leaders grew into adulthood through the military and then, with the benefit of a quality college education, went on to serve their communities and country in positions of significant leadership in all walks of life.
It is critical that members of the Armed Forces who thirst for further formal education and show the extra initiative of earning college credit while in service have the opportunity later to count these credits toward an advanced degree.
I’m proud to say my amendment to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act will enhance that opportunity by allowing servicemen and women to transfer academic credits earned while serving in the Armed forces between institutions of higher education so as to benefit not only themselves, but their families and their country.
My amendment has been endorsed by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran’s of America, the Idaho Division of Veterans Services and the Idaho American Legion.
I’d like to thank Chairman Miller and members of the Education and Labor Committee for their hard work on this legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support the Minnick amendment and reserve the balance of my time.
