On 21MAR13 Congress made a bipartisan decision mandating that the United States military branches within the Department of Defense reinstate Tuition Assistance for their members through the end of the fiscal year 2013. This bill was effective in securing educational benefits for four of the five military branches.
The US Coast Guard, a military service organized within the Department of Homeland Security, is not within the DoD and so its members' educational benefits were not restored and are still greatly diminished.
As a member of the armed services the US Coast Guard deserves parity with its sister services. We call upon Washington to recognize this and mandate the US Coast Guard mirror other services and reinstate Tuition Assistance for the fiscal year 2013.