FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Bills aimed to improve veterans' services, provide for uniform treatment of military children at state and local level.
Installation Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Berhane joined Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine and hundreds of other servicemembers and family members Tuesday as Kaine ceremonially signed several General Assembly bills providing assistance to military personnel and their families and honoring the Commonwealth's active-duty service members, Guardsmen and Reservists, veterans and their families.
"Virginia owes a great debt to our men and women who have served in the military," Kaine said. "These bills take important steps toward improving the lives of those who are currently serving our country, and honoring those who have served in the past."
Among the bills signed was the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (HB 1727/Cole). The compact, which has been signed into law in at least 10 other states, will allow for the uniform treatment, at the state and local district level, of military children transferring between school districts and states, and will also address the timely sharing of their educational records.
Virginia currently has 76,352 school-aged children of active-duty military, more than any state in the nation.
"This legislation makes it easier for family members to be able to transition from from one duty station to another by simplifying the process for our children to transfer from one school to another," Berhane said. "We ask a lot of our families. This is one less thing they will have to worry about."
Other bills signed during Tuesday's ceremony provide tuition assistance for members of the Guard who have a minimum of two years remaining on their service requirement; increase the homestead exemption for veterans with a 40 percent or greater service-connected disability rating; and, make it easier for military and overseas voters and their families to vote absentee.
Virginia is home to 156,000 active-duty servicemembers, 26,000 Reserve members and 10,000 members of the Virginia National Guard. Additionally, 807,000 veterans call the Commonwealth home, meaning that one out of every 10 Virginians is a veteran.
"It's an honor to know the Commonwealth and the people of Virginia are so supportive of their servicemen and servicewomen," Berhane said.
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