Rep. Susie Lee Leads Floor Debate in Support of Apprenticeships, Student Loan Forgiveness for Vets with Disabilities

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. LEE SPEAK ON H.R. 3598

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. LEE SPEAK ON S. 760

Washington D.C. - U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) led debate on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of two bipartisan bills to help America's veterans:

• H.R. 3598, the Federally Requiring Earned Education-Debt Discharges for Veterans Act (FREED Vets Act), introduced by Rep. Conor Lamb (Pa.-17), which would automatically discharge federal student loan debt for eligible permanently disabled veterans.
• S. 760, the Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act, introduced by Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), which would expand the pathways to apprenticeship programs for military veterans. S. 760 passed the Senate with bipartisan support in December 2019.

The following is an excerpt of Rep. Lee's remarks addressed to her colleagues on the House floor in support the FREED Vets Act, as prepared for delivery:

"This legislation will improve the lives of nearly 40,000 veterans who have a service-related disability by requiring the Secretary of Education to automatically discharge their federal student loan debt.

"For too long, veterans with a service-connected disability have fallen through the cracks. Because of that, they've been forced to navigate a complicated and confusing system, while being straddled with debt. We owe our disabled veterans a better option.

"These brave individuals who served our country and are now totally and permanently disabled should not have to carry the burden of their debt, especially when we have the information and the ability to eliminate all sorts of bureaucratic and, quite frankly, unnecessary red tape. I am proud to support this legislation which creates a clear process for disabled veterans to receive the relief they are entitled to under the law."

The following is an excerpt of Rep. Lee's remarks addressed to her colleagues on the House floor in support of the Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act, as prepared for delivery:

"This legislation is a commonsense approach to helping men and women who have laid their life on the line for our freedom. So many of our veterans transition to civilian life and need to develop skills to get good paying jobs. Yet, many are not suited for traditional education pathways. This is where registered apprenticeship programs are so important, and this legislation takes important steps to increasing veterans' access to complete financial assistance they can use to connect a registered apprenticeship program.

"Registered Apprenticeships are our nation's most successful federally funded workforce development, with a 94 percent rate for workers who complete a Registered Apprenticeship, and an average starting salary of $70,000 a year. The bill would ensure more veterans access these high-quality programs […]"

BACKGROUND: The Department of Education (ED) identified 42,000 veterans who collectively owe more than $1 billion in federal student loans but are entitled to a discharge of that debt due to their permanent disability. H.R. 3598, the FREED Vets Act, would automatically forgive the loans of those eligible permanently disabled veterans.

In August 2019, President Trump signed an executive order to discharge the debt owed by Americans--including veterans--with permanent disabilities, but the ED has experienced difficulties and delays implementing the executive order. The FREED Vets Act makes a permanent, statutory change to address the implementation of the discharge program, giving thousands of permanently disabled veterans the relief they need and deserve.

Rep. Lee has introduced numerous bills to bolster workforce development and strengthen apprenticeship opportunities for Americans across diverse communities:

• Rep. Lee introduced the bipartisan Hire Student Veterans Act to help ensure that all student veterans can take advantage of valuable paid internships or work opportunities while in school.
• Rep. Lee and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (Nev.) introduced the Cyber Ready Workforce Act. This bill will give students and workers apprenticeship opportunities in the cyber industry, giving them the key skills they need to compete in the developing 21st-century economy.
• Rep. Lee's bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, the Dignity in Aging Act, passed the House in October 2019. Included as a provision in that legislation is her bill with Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott, the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act, which invests in training and employment advancement opportunities for America's direct care workers.

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