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Rep. Tim Probst, serving the 17th District Serving Vancouver and the surrounding communities of southern Clark County. |
Probst amendment to economic stimulus bill opens benefits to National Guard
Feb. 6, 2009
OLYMPIA – An amendment offered by state Rep. Tim Probst, D-Vancouver,
will allow returning National Guard members to access training benefits. The
legislation, which successfully passed the House, previously included
honorably discharged veterans, but had excluded National Guard members.
“National Guard members are serving our country, risking their lives
overseas, and sometimes sacrificing their lives. They are there for us when
we need them. So when our Guard members need us, we need to stand by them,”
Probst said. “This amendment will help about 650 National Guard members who
will soon be returning from Iraq, and coming home to face unemployment in a
tough economy, while they wait for their next tour of duty overseas. We need
to support them and get them the training they need to find good jobs.”
The amendment applies to the Training Benefits Program, which provides
assistance to qualified people in job retraining. Honorably discharged
military members were included in the original bill, and now National Guard
members will be as well.
“Without a doubt these National Guard
members deserve this benefit and it was great to have the House support
their addition to the program,” Probst said.
In addition to the
worker training program, the bill would also increase the weekly
unemployment check by $45 starting May 3 and would run through the end of
the year. It’s one of the first pieces of what the House will propose to
deal with the declining economy and recovery.
“Helping out hurting
families, while providing retraining for those who need it, are some of the
main features of what we’ll be doing in Olympia this session,” Probst said.
“Increasing training benefits right now will not only provide relief to
those getting the checks, but also for their local grocery store or
business.”
The unemployment insurance legislation, House Bill 1906,
will now go to the Senate.
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For more information:
State Rep. Tim Probst, (360) 786-7994
Print-quality image:
www.leg.wa.gov/documents/House/Members/Photos/Probst.jpg
Staff
contact – Andrew Dziedzic, (360) 786-7218