Veterans' Education Bill Nears Final Passage

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By KELLY FIELD

The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would significantly expand veterans' tuition benefits while providing billions of dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bill now heads back to the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the tuition-benefits measure last month but rejected the war funds. If the House agrees to the Senate's war-spending level, the bill will go to President Bush for his veto or signature. If the House does not agree, lawmakers will have to convene a conference committee to negotiate a compromise first.

Either way lawmakers will have to figure out how to pay for the tuition benefits. The House, which is bound by "pay as you go" rules that require all new spending to be offset, has approved a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans. But several senators oppose that plan, so lawmakers may need to find another way to offset the tuition costs.

There are other potential hurdles as well. President Bush has threatened to veto any spending bill that exceeds his $108-billion cap. Last month's votes in both chambers were large enough to override such a veto, but it is unclear if the House's margin will remain large enough once war spending is added to the package.

If the bill is ultimately signed into law, veterans who have served in the military for at least three years since September 11, 2001, would receive enough tuition aid to cover the cost of attending the most-expensive public college in their state, plus a monthly stipend for housing costs.