I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5944 
To amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve educational 
assistance for members of the Armed Forces and veterans in order 
to enhance recruitment and retention for the Armed Forces, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2008 
Mr. PUTNAM (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mrs. DRAKE, Mr. 
KLINE of Minnesota, and Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 
and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve 
educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces 
and veterans in order to enhance recruitment and reten-
tion for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Enhancement of Recruitment, Retention, and Readjust-
ment Through Education Act of 2008’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Plan on coordination of current educational assistance programs and de-
velopment of additional educational assistance programs to en-
able career-oriented members of the Armed Forces to attain a 
bachelor’s degree. 
Sec. 4. Increase in rates of basic educational assistance under the Montgomery 
GI Bill. 
Sec. 5. Annual stipend for recipients of basic educational assistance under the 
Montgomery GI Bill. 
Sec. 6. Increase in rates of educational assistance for members of the Selected 
Reserve. 
Sec. 7. Increase in rates of educational assistance for reserve component mem-
bers supporting contingency operations and other operations 
with extended service in the Selected Reserve. 
Sec. 8. Enhancement of transferability of entitlement to educational assistance. 
Sec. 9. Use of educational assistance to repay Federal student loans. 
Sec. 10. Educational assistance for graduates of the service academies and Re-
serve Officers’ Training Corps programs. 
Sec. 11. Opportunity for current and certain retired VEAP-era personnel to en-
roll in basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI 
Bill. 
Sec. 12. College Patriots Grant Program. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The World War II-era GI Bill assisted al-
most 8,000,000 members of the Armed Forces in re-
adjusting to civilian life after completing their serv-
ice to the nation. With the support and assistance 
of America’s colleges and universities, the GI Bill 
provided incentives that transformed American soci-
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ety, making a college degree a realizable goal for 
millions of Americans. 
(2) In the years following World War II, the GI 
Bill continued to provide educational benefits for 
members of the Armed Forces who had been drafted 
into or volunteered for service. 
(3) The establishment of the All Volunteer 
Force in 1973, and its development since its incep-
tion, has produced highly professional Armed Forces 
that are recognized as the most effective fighting 
force the world has ever seen. 
(4) The Sonny Montgomery GI Bill was enacted 
in 1984 to sustain the All Volunteer Force by pro-
viding educational benefits to aid in the recruitment 
and retention of highly qualified personnel for the 
Armed Forces and to assist veterans in readjusting 
to civilian life. Today, it remains a cornerstone of 
military recruiting and retention planning for the 
Armed Forces and continues to fulfill its original 
purposes. 
(5) The All Volunteer Force depends for its ef-
fectiveness and vitality on successful recruiting of 
highly capable men and women, and retention for 
careers of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, in 
both the active and reserve components of the 
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