Congressman Hamadeh’s Bipartisan Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act Passes Out of Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs passed Congressman Abraham J. Hamadeh’s (AZ-08) bipartisan Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act.
Congressman Hamadeh proudly joined Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) in offering the legislation that will assist veterans in their pursuit of degrees in science, health care and technology.
Congressman Hamadeh believes that meeting the needs of our veterans should never be partisan and all government programs should be centered around what is best for the veteran. To that end, this legislation would modify the requirements of the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship to make the program accessible to more veterans and more responsive to their needs.
“I want to thank Congresswoman Budzinski for joining me in offering this bipartisan bill to assist veterans. As I have said before, in light of the fact that 3,500 veterans have used the scholarship to continue pursuing their degrees in STEM fields in just the last three years, the need to modify the requirements was obvious,” stated Congressman Hamadeh, a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer.
“Given the need for more STEM professionals in our workforce, I believe there is no reason to require applicants to exhaust their Post 9-11/GI Bill benefits before they can apply,” concluded Congressman Hamadeh. “House Republicans are 100% dedicated to eliminating unnecessary red tape and arbitrary rules that make no sense.”
BACKGROUND:
·The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act legislation will assist veterans in their pursuit of degrees in science, health care and technology.
·This bill removes the requirement that applicants must exhaust their Post 9-11/GI Bill benefits before they can apply given the need for more STEM professionals in our workforce.
·This bill also lifts the requirement that veterans must be within 6 months of exhausting their benefits before they are able to apply.
The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act is endorsed by the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Student Veterans of America (SVA), and AMVETS.