Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) voted in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2021, which expands eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill to count every day that a servicemember is paid and in uniform toward benefit eligibility in order to achieve GI Bill parity for National Guard and Reserve members. The legislation, introduced by House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Vice Chair Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and Chair Mark Takano (D-Calif.), provides parity in GI Bill benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserve who increasingly conduct similar training and missions as other servicemembers, but do not receive equal benefits. 

“For years, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and I have worked to equalize GI Bill benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserves. On January 6, 2021, National Guard members from all over the country, including members from Maine, helped protect our democracy when violent insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol. Our dedicated Guardsmen and women are always there to answer the call, whether it be to help combat wildfires that ravage the west or serve on the frontlines of the pandemic by relieving overwhelmed hospitals and facilitating vaccination clinics. The list goes on,” said Congresswoman Pingree, who serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. “There’s no reason servicemembers who risk their lives and protect Americans every day they put on their uniform don’t have the same access to benefits as their active-duty counterparts. This legislation will help finally provide Guard and Reserve members with the benefits they deserve, and I am proud to have voted for it.”

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