FORT STEWART, Ga. – The Obama
administration wants to trademark the term "GI Bill" in an effort to
shield veterans and military families from being swindled or misled by
schools that target their federal education benefits.
President Barack Obama is signing a wide-ranging order
on Friday that partially addresses growing complaints about fraudulent
marketing and recruiting practices aimed at military families eligible
for federal education aid under the GI Bill.
First, the president and first lady Michelle Obama paid
tribute to fallen soldiers, walking slowly hand in hand along the Fort
Stewart Warriors Walk, a wide path lined with 441 memorial trees. The
base of each tree bore a granite marker with a soldier's name.
The president and his wife then were to speak to troops
at this Army post in Georgia, where Obama will sign an executive order
mandating several new education protections for military service members
Though there is little the federal government can do to
shut down diploma mills, the new protections would make it harder for
post-secondary and technical schools to misrepresent themselves to
military students.
The main target of the White House action is for-profit
colleges and universities that market heavily to military families
because of the easy availability of federal money under the GI Bill.
Some post-secondary schools target current and former
military service members using deceptive military-themed websites that
appear to be government-run or connected to the GI Bill benefit system,
administration officials said.
The financial regulation overhaul that Obama signed in
2010 included the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
with specific authority to protect members of the military from
predatory financial practices.
The law set up an Office of Service Member Affairs to
help members of the military and their families "make better informed
decisions regarding consumer financial products and services."
Bills pending in Congress, largely backed by Democrats
and unlikely to become law soon, would do many of the same things Obama
was ordering Friday.
Obama's order will also set a new gauge that potential
students can use to calculate how much a school will really cost in
tuition and fees. Schools are asked to voluntarily participate in the
"Know Before You Owe" system this school year and would be required to
do so next year.
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