Military Relief Fund Bill Passes House

A bill that would extend the life of the state's Military Family Relief Fund has passed the House and is on the way to the Senate. The fund will expire this year if the bill is not enacted into law.

HB 1035, which is sponsored by Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, Rep. Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial, and Sen. John P. Morse, D-Colorado Springs, was given final clearance by the House this morning. Carroll was the driving force behind the initial creation of the fund.

The fund, which is administered by the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, provides money to families of service members, including national guard members on active duty, deployed as a result of the attacks on the United States that took place Sept. 11, 2001.

The fund can be used to make up lost salary and increased expenses caused by the armed forces member's mobilization.

You can learn more about the Military Family Relief Fund here.

Military Family Relief Fund Extension Passes House Committee

HB 1035, which would extend the life of the state's military family relief fund, was endorsed by a House committee this morning.

The bill, which would extend the life of a fund used to help families that suffer financial hardship when an armed forces member is deployed overseas, was approved by the House Finance Committee, 8-3.

Republican Reps. Doug Bruce and Kent Lambert of Colorado Springs and Kevin Lundberg of Berthoud voted "no."

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial and Sen. John P. Morse, D-Colorado Springs.