Norton Bill Named for D.C. National Guard Member Killed in Metro Crash Passed in House (6/28/2010)
Norton Bill Named for D.C. National Guard Member Killed in Metro Crash Passed in House June 28, 2010 WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) managed one of her bills on the House floor, the "Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Act," which the House passed. The bill's passage comes on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the tragic June 22, 2009, Metro crash, in which Major General David F. Wherley and his wife, Ann, were killed. The bill authorizes permanent funding for higher education expenses for D.C. National Guard (DCNG) members. The Congresswoman has secured federal funding for these expenses through her request to appropriators in previous years, and last year, she got $375,000 for these educational expenses. Norton said, "This bill comes at a time when the region and our country are focused both on the Metro tragedy and on the two wars we are still fighting, with the National Guard's critical help. We need to permanently authorize this funding to keep the DCNG competitive with National Guards in surrounding jurisdictions. Naming the bill for General Wherley, who did so much for the D.C National Guard and the District alike, will help us remember a man who served us all, and will keep us committed to preventing similar tragedies in the future." |