WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 17, 2017) - Bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich to modernize and strengthen veterans' education benefits and enhance the post-9/11 G.I. Bill became law yesterday. The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 further invests in the proven educational success of our veterans and helps propel them toward becoming our nation's civic, business, and public leaders.

"New Mexico's men and women in uniform sign up willing to risk everything for our country, and they deserve a modern post 9/11 G.I. Bill for the 21st century economy. I'm very pleased to see it signed into law," said Udall. "While we can never fully repay our debt to our veterans, this legislation honors the courage and sacrifice of service-members in New Mexico and across the country. With this new law, we will help empower veterans to continue strengthening our nation as they pursue new careers and opportunities here at home."

"Since it was approved just weeks after D-Day, the original G.I. Bill has made a tremendous impact on our nation's heroes and their families – and helped build America's post-war economy. We owe it to this generation of servicemembers to provide those same educational benefits and opportunities that they too have earned," said Heinrich. "Modernizing the education benefits of the post-9/11 G.I. Bill will open doors for New Mexico's veterans and their families and put our entire nation on a more prosperous path."

The legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was named in honor of Harry Walter Colmery, an Army Air Service veteran and former national commander of the American Legion who drafted the original G.I. Bill in 1944 to improve the transition for World War II veterans back to civilian life.

The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 puts an end to the arbitrary 15-year period that a veteran is required to use their G.I. Bill so they can use their benefits at any time in their professional career. The bill also makes much-needed updates for reservists, Purple Heart recipients, veterans, and surviving family members who face school closures while enrolled and surviving family members, and offers additional educational assistance to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, computer programming and career technical training.

Additionally, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017:

  • Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists mobilized under selected reserve orders for preplanned missions in support of the combatant commands or in response to a major disaster or emergency;
  • Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists undergoing medical care;
  • Provides full G.I. Bill benefits for Purple Heart recipients regardless of length of service;
  • Extends Yellow Ribbon Program benefits to Fry scholarship recipients; and
  • Increases G.I. Bill payments by $2,300 per year for veterans with less than 12 months of active service.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.