Senate Approves Sinema-Backed Bipartisan Fellowship Program for Gold Star Families

Statement

The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema that creates a bipartisan Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship for Gold Star family members in the U.S. Senate.

"Arizona's Gold Star Families gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country--our bipartisan fellowship is a small token of gratitude for these patriots looking to expand career opportunities through paid U.S. Senate fellowships," said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and backed by Sinema, offers a paid fellowship opportunity for Gold Star family members to work in the U.S. Senate. The 12-month fellowship would be conducted in a Washington DC or state office.

In September, Sinema introduced the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks Act--bipartisan legislation that provides free annual passes to current military members and lifetime passes to veterans and members of Gold Star Families.

Last Congress, Sinema secured Senate passage of the bipartisan Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act which provided tax relief for Gold Star Families by fixing a problem with the 2017 tax law that unfairly raised taxes on military survivor benefits. Sinema also cosponsored last Congress the bipartisan Gold Star Leasing Relief Act, which enabled spouses of servicemembers who died while in military service the flexibility to end specific financial burdens and prevent a downgrade in the family's credit rating.

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