Andre Carson: “Thousands of active duty servicemembers are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq every year, many of these…”

“Thousands of active duty servicemembers are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq every year, many of these individuals serving continuously, having enlisted right out of high school or college. For years, they have lived a structured military life on bases and abroad. This structure makes for a well-disciplined and a well-trained military force, but it can also make for a difficult transition back to civilian life. Many returning servicemembers have no experience with saving or budgeting or with credit, taxes, and/or mortgages. As a result, many military families are falling into unmanageable debt, bankruptcy, and foreclosure. My amendment, which is part of this en bloc amendment, seeks to alleviate these concerns. It simply expands the military's existing preseparation counseling program to include a personal finances component. When this takes effect, military families will reenter civilian life with the information they need to build a stable, long-term financial future. I encourage all of my colleagues to support our military families by supporting this amendment.”