United States Senate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2007		Contacts: Cody Wertz (Salazar) – 303-350-0032 Bethany Lesser (Brown) – 202 224-3978
Sens. Salazar and Brown Introduce New Legislation Offering Relief for Those Getting Called Up for Duty While In School WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) yesterday introduced new legislation, the Veterans Education Tuition Support (VETS) Act, to enable college students to keep their academic career on track after being called up to active military service. “When soldiers head off to war, they need to know that they will be given the time and the support they need, without falling unnecessarily behind academically or financially, when they return to their normal lives as college students,” Senator Brown said. “Men and women across Colorado and the country volunteer their service to our Nation, rising to a higher calling, just as my father and older brother John did,” said Senator Salazar. “Washington needs to be making it easier, not harder, for these brave Americans to fulfill their duties and return home to their lives just as they left them - this includes students who are mobilized while in school." The VETS Act would amend the Service-members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and would require colleges and universities to refund tuition for service-members who deploy during the semester and restore their academic status when they return. It would also extend the period of time before returning service members must reenroll in school or face repaying their student loans and cap student loan interest rates at 6 percent during deployment. The VETS act would apply to all National Guard, reservists, and active duty military member enrolled in higher education institutions. Brown and Salazar worked closely with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in developing this legislation. Companion legislation was introduced in the House yesterday by Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA). # # #