Senator Kay Hagan

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina is co-sponsoring The GI Bill Protection Act of 2012, which would permanently prohibit the inappropriate and misleading use in marketing of the phrase “GI Bill.”  Congress has a long history of providing permanent statutory protection for phrases and names such as “American Veterans”, “Medicare”,  and “Social Security” to prevent misuse and abuse. The GI Bill Protection Act of 2012 would provide the same protection.  In March, Hagan and 13 Senate colleagues sent a letter to the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs about submitting an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the phrase “GI Bill”.  In April, President Obama issued an executive order requiring the Department of Veterans Affair to follow through with this application as a first step to protecting the phrase from those who would exploit it.  The GI Bill Protection Act of 2012 has been endorsed by the Military Officers of Association America and the Veterans of ForeignWars