Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to support the families of fallen U.S. servicemembers passed the U.S. Senate.
Sens. Ossoff, Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the bipartisan Gold Star Children Education Act to support the education of children after the loss of a parent who served.
The legislation passed the Senate as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.
The bipartisan bill would allow Gold Star families — who were not already — to enroll their kids in Department of Defense schools, giving families more choices for their kids’ education, allowing children to learn in a more familiar military community environment as they grieve the loss of a parent, and offering support services from experienced military professionals.
Currently, Gold Star children are not eligible to enroll in DoD schools after the death of a parent if they were not already enrolled in one. A recent study found military families frequently cite the availability of schools on installations as having a positive impact on their quality of life.
“We can never do enough to support the families of fallen U.S. servicemembers. That’s why I brought Republicans and Democrats together to give more support to gold star families and ensure our children get the best education and support possible,” Sen. Ossoff said.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia’s servicemembers and military families.
In June, Sen. Ossoff introduced theMilitary Families Support Act, which would exempt active duty servicemembers from being deployed, mobilized, or sent to trainings away from their duty stations for a year, helping keep families together after welcoming a new child. The policy would also include servicemembers who adopt a child or those undergoing fertility treatment.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff co-sponsored the bipartisan Love Lives on Act of 2023, which would allow surviving spouses to retain their survivor benefits regardless of marital status.
Click here to read the Gold Star Children Education Act.
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