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News Index
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Romney Backs New Vets Benefits, $1,000 Bonus for Combat Service Since 9-11 (State House News)
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By Amy Lambiaso
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
amy.lambiaso@statehousenews.com
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 11, 2005…..Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday threw his
“full support” behind a legislative proposal to expand benefits offered to
Massachusetts veterans and National Guard members, urging lawmakers to have
it on his desk within a month.
Romney told members of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee he’d like
to sign the so-called “Welcome Home Bill” on Nov. 11 – Veterans’ Day as a
symbolic tribute to the nearly 500,000 veterans currently living in
Massachusetts. Since October 2001, roughly 18,000 Massachusetts residents
have returned home from active duty, said Veterans’ Services Secretary
Thomas Kelley.
The governor said the bill, which would extend educational benefits for
veterans, increase the daily stipend for those serving in the National
Guard, and increase the death benefit and life insurance privileges of
guardsmen and their families, represents the “ongoing need” of veterans
that was greater than he anticipated when the US entered the war. “I think we all recognize, we are - as a nation and as a state - we are
asking more of the National Guard than has been asked over the last couple
of decades,” Romney said. “And it means that our response and support of
the National Guard also has to also increase.”
The governor appeared before the committee with Secretary Kelley and
Adjutant General Oliver Mason, and applauded the dozens of veterans, widows
and family members in the audience at the outset of today’s hearing. After
his testimony, Romney accepted the invitation of the committee and sat in
the audience to listen to several of those widows testify.
The “Welcome Home Bill” was filed last week by the co-chairmen of the
committee, Rep. Anthony Verga (D-Gloucester) and Sen. Stephen Brewer
(D-Barre) as a comprehensive effort to provide additional benefits to
veterans and entice more residents to sign-up for service in the National
Guard. Romney today said the committee’s bill, which is similar to a bill
he filed in February, has his “full support.”
In response, Verga told Romney: “I’d like to say this, it’s great doing
business with you.”
The 20-section bill would increase the death benefit for guardsmen’s
families from $5,000 to $100,000, offer a one-time $1,000 bonus for any
serviceman or woman called to duty in Iraq or Afghanistran since Sept. 11,
2001, and increase annuities for widows and families of veterans. The daily
stipend for National Guard members would go up from $75 to $100, under the
bill.
In addition, the legislation would provide tuition and fee waivers for all
veterans and National Guard members to attend a public college of
university in Massachusetts, and World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans
would receive a high school diploma of recognition if they could not
complete school.
Romney also pledged to support “additional compensation” for the state’s
higher education system if the tuition and fee waivers would significantly
damage its budget. Mason said the educational benefits would help
recruitment and retention efforts in the guard. The “stress” and “tempo” of
ongoing operations overseas has contributed to retention problems, he said.
Mason told the committee he was “thrilled” to be supporting the legislation. Massachusetts is authorized to enlist 6,375 guardsmen into the Army and up
to 2,300 into the Air Force, Mason said. Th
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