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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President


For Immediate Release May 10, 2000

VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR HISTORIC INCREASE IN VETERANS'

EDUCATION BENEFITS THROUGH THE MONTGOMERY GI BILL

Washington, DC--Vice President Gore announced today a proposal that includes the largest, single increase in veterans' education benefits in the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) program's 16-year history. These improvements, which cost $1.2 billion over 5 years, would be fully funded by the continuation of sensible savings policies in veterans' programs passed in 1997.

"The key to opportunity is education and our veterans deserve an education that is second to none," Vice President Gore said. "The proposal I introduced today provides the single largest increase in veterans' education benefits since the program was created."

"We have to uphold a simple principle when it comes to our veterans' education: those who fight for our security should never have to fight for the education they need to succeed,"Vice President Gore said.

The Administrations proposal supports: (1) increasing education benefits by 25 percent in 2001, to $670 per month; (2) providing the same percentage increase in 2001 to survivors and dependents and, for the first time, indexing these benefits in subsequent years to inflation; and (3) allowing veterans to use their education benefits for licensing and certification.

This proposal nearly doubles education benefits from the time that President Clinton took office. It complements the significant improvements in veterans' health funding as well as the Administration's unprecedented commitment to improving military recruitment. The Vice President and President will urge Congress to pass this important proposal this year.

Specifically, the proposal would:

Additionally, the proposal reemphasizes the need to strengthen the Montgomery GI Bill through:

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