Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Governor Culver Congratulates U.S. House On Passing Military Death Benefit Bill
Governor Urges Senate to Quickly Pass Similar Legislation
(Des Moines) – Governor Chet Culver congratulated the U.S. House of Representatives today for passing a bill introduced by Iowa Rep. Tom Latham that would extend military death benefits to family and relatives of service members killed in action.
In June 2006, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime Jaenke, of Iowa Falls, was killed by a roadside bomb while on duty in Iraq. Petty Officer Jaenke had a 9-year-old daughter Kayla, who is now being raised by her grandparents. Petty Officer Jaenke’s mother, Susan, contacted the Governor’s office to raise awareness that, under current law, benefit payments are not made directly to grandparents, aunts or uncles who have custody of the surviving child of the deceased service member.
“The brave men and women overseas deserve to know that, if something tragic were to happen, we will do everything we can to take care of their families back home,” said Governor Culver. “I appreciate Susan Jaenke raising this issue with our office, and I am pleased that the U.S. House has acted on behalf of our military families. I now encourage the Senate to quickly pass this legislation so we can immediately help military families facing financial hardship.”
In June 2007, Governor Culver sent a letter to Iowa Senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley, along with the U.S. Senate leadership, urging them to pass legislation that would extend military death benefits to families like the Jaenke family. In addition, Governor Culver sent a similar letter to his fellow Governors across the country to raise awareness of this issue.