"In another story, retold recently in Youngstown, Ohio, she describes a "young woman who lost her husband in Iraq, a lovely young woman who had a daughter."
"Here's what happened to her," Clinton said. "She was given $6,000.
She was told to leave the base within 90 days. She was told her daughter was no longer eligible for Army medical care. She was basically on her own. So I said, 'That's not right.' So we began to work to change what was really cruel -- you lose your husband, you lose your wife, you lose your mom or your dad, and you're out, and nobody seemed to care." "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040203030_2.htmlIn 2005, a Kerry amendment, passed by voice vote, changed changed the length of time from 180 days to a year. Yet HRC is speaking of it being 90 days. Does she always make things up.
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Here from Thomas:
"Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendments be dispensed with.
<snip>
I have a second amendment at the desk to help military families lessen the disruption that a death brings to the family.
At the present time, the survivors of those killed in action have to move out of military housing in 180 days. But for those with young children in school, that becomes entirely disruptive often with respect to the school district kids are able to go to, and it is a very difficult burden in many cases for widows and widowers to have to try to confront all of the difficulties of that transition, including the efforts of finding housing . The 180 days may mean starting a school year in one State and finishing it in another. I don't believe that is a message we ought to be extending to the families of those who give their lives in service to our country.
Given all of the disruption the loss of a parent brings to their lives, I propose allowing survivors the option to keep their housing for a whole year as they deal with the countless other challenges. It may seem like a small change, but I have heard from enough different folks on active duty in the military about the significance of this particular need, and it can make a huge difference for a family who is struggling with the loss of a father or a mother.
Investing in our military families is not just appropriating the money for the equipment or the latest technology for the deployment itself, it is investing in the families themselves. And it is not as an act of compassion, it is a smart investment in America's military . Good commanders know that while you may recruit an individual soldier or marine, you retain a whole family. That is the way we ought to look at our policies.
Nearly 50 percent of America's service members are married today. If we want to retain our most experienced service
members, particularly after we have invested millions of dollars in their training, then it is important--especially for the noncommissioned officers who are the backbone of the military --that we keep faith with their families. If we don't, and those experienced enlisted leaders begin to leave, we as a nation are weakened.
The two amendments I have proposed today are the beginning of a larger effort to do right by our military families. I believe it is a strong beginning. By joining measures to take care of military families at home with legislation to take care of those remarkable young men and women serving abroad, we are going to take a firm step toward putting meaning behind the promise to support our troops. I hope these amendments are agreed to.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is the status of that bill:
"S.AMDT.1502
Amends: S.1042
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F.
(submitted 7/25/2005) (proposed 11/8/2005)
AMENDMENT PURPOSE:
To make permanent the extension of the period of temporary continuation of basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Armed Forces who die on active duty.
TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S8858
STATUS:
11/8/2005:
Amendment SA 1502 proposed by Senator Warner for Senator Kerry. (consideration: CR S12497-12513; text: CR S12502)
11/8/2005:
Amendment SA 1502 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
COSPONSORS(1):
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. - 9/27/2005
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Text of amendment from CR 8858:
" SA 1502. Mr. KERRY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1042, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2006 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle A of title VI, add the following:
SEC. 605. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF PERIOD OF TEMPORARY CONTINUATION OF BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING FOR DEPENDENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO DIE ON ACTIVE DUTY.
Effective immediately after the termination, pursuant to subsection (b) of section 1022 of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 109-13; 119 State. 251), of the amendments made by subsection (a) of such section, section 403(1) of title 37, United States Code, is amended by striking ``180 days'' each place it appears and inserting ``365 days''. "