Senator Al Franken said that he is putting the pressure on lawmakers in Washington to stand up for American servicemembers and Veterans who are put in harm's way to defend our freedoms.

Ahead of tonight's Presidential address to Congress, where Sen. Franken is hosting Minnesota VFW State Commander Joe Mauricio, the Senator helped introduce a comprehensive package of legislation that includes portions of a bill he originally wrote to support National Guardsmen and Reservists who served in dangerous areas, but after returning, never received critical education benefits. In one case, for example, several Minnesota Guardsmen who deployed to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt were denied GI Bill benefits when they got back home.

The Educational Development (ED) for Troops and Veterans Act will provide education benefits to service members who often have to leave behind schools, jobs, and homes to serve their country.

"The men and women who serve our country put their lives on the line to defend our freedom, and for their duty, we owe them a debt of gratitude," said Sen. Franken. "We also owe them the best possible benefits and services once they come home. This important bill, which includes a priority of mine to support Guardsmen and Reservists who served in dangerous areas, will help make sure that Veterans in Minnesota and across the country can access critical education support and career training. It needs to be passed into law."

The ED for Troops and Veterans Act will do five things:

Provide protections and benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserve who deploy.
This proposal will help those stepping away from their career to serve their country. The bill will protect them from reduced wages or even termination from their job. And it makes sure that National Guard and Reserve members receive the same GI Bill education benefits as their active duty counterparts for time deployed overseas, which is a provision based on a bill that Sen. Franken wrote.

Allow service members to defer student loan payments during training for an upcoming deployment.
Service members train for months before a deployment, and often have to relocate to do so. These folks shouldn't face financial hardship due to their student loan payments while serving our country and they should be completely freed up to focus on readiness requirements prior to deployment.

Establish a grant program to build, maintain and improve college veteran education centers.
A number of benefits and resources exist for student veterans, but for many it's a complicated system that's hard to navigate. Veteran education centers help student veterans maximize their benefits, receive academic aid, and connect with their peers on campus.

Keep tuition assistance for members of the National Guard and Reserve competitive.
The cost of college tuition is increasing by the year, and GI Bill tuition assistance for Guardsmen and Reservists shouldn't continue to lose its value.

Protect Reservists' monthly housing allowance during training.
Reservists have to commit to a number of training days a month to maintain readiness. This provision will correct a discrepancy that denies Reservists who train on active duty status from receiving the full housing allowance to which they should be entitled. Many of these Reservists are students who greatly rely on this allowance while furthering their education.

The bill is supported by Student Veterans of America, Veterans Education Success, Reserve Officers Association, Retired Enlisted Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Foundation, and the National Guard Association of the United States.