I would like to thank Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin and Ranking Member Boozman for allowing me to testify before this distinguished committee on behalf of our legislation, the Test Prep for Heroes Act.  This legislation, introduced by Congressman Putnam and me, would make a technical correction to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, at no new cost to taxpayers, to ensure that our service men  and women have the opportunity to take test prep courses for licensing and certification tests.

The passage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill marked a major step forward in finally fulfilling our obligation to those men and women who have served our country honorably since the events of September 11, 2001.  The original GI Bill brought prosperity to an entire generation by putting our veterans through college upon returning home from service, and it was time to do the same for our service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  I was proud to be a cosponsor and strong supporter of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, however I am also committed to improving these benefits and fixing any omissions in the law that may prevent students from taking full advantage of them. 

Under current law, GI Bill beneficiaries are eligible for up to $2,000 in reimbursements for the cost of taking a licensing and certification test.  However, as many of you well know, the cost of the test often pales in comparison to the cost of test prep courses that many students take today to better prepare for these tests.  For example, the cost of taking the SAT can be as little as $45, while the cost of an SAT test preparation course with a licensed instructor can run you over $1,000- enough to deter any cash strapped student from enrolling.  If we allow GI Bill beneficiaries to use their $2,000 reimbursement for both the cost of one test prep course and the cost of one certification or licensing test, we could better position our returning veterans to compete with their peers on these high stakes tests. 

The Test Prep for Heroes Act would do just that: allow veterans to use this $2,000 reimbursement for both the cost of one test and one preparatory course.  It’s a common sense solution to help ensure that our veterans can afford to better prepare for the material on these tests and earn a degree from a top rate college.  By continuing to analyze and improve these benefits, I’m confident we can provide our service men and women with the resources they need to succeed and make our veterans an integral part of our nation’s economic recovery.  

I would like to thank you all for your consideration of our legislation and for the opportunity to testify before you today.  I look forward to working with the members of the committee to improve upon the GI Bill and provide our veterans with the benefits they deserve.  Thank you.