One group is calling it a way to ensure our soldiers in the armed forces get the education they deserve, while another contends it is a tactic to generate publicity.

The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, also called the Webb-Hagel bill, is at the heart of the debate. VoteVets.org, a non-profit veterans’ rights organization, began running a series oftelevision ads on the bill Monday in the San Antonio and Waco markets, which encompasses Ft. Hood and Ft. Sam Houston. The ads are directed at Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and ask constituents to tell him to support the act.

The bill was introduced earlier this year and would cover up to the highest in-state tuition for a veteran and provide a stipend for living expenses as well if enacted. It would be a major overhaul of the Montgomery GI Bill, which some say has not kept up with the rising costs of attending college.

Cornyn is supporting another bill introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Republican presidential candidate John McCain of Arizona. The bill would also increase the amount provided for college expenses, but not to the extent of Webb-Hagel bill. However, it would allow the transfer of benefits to a family member.

Alex Horton, who served in the military from 2004 to 2007 did a 15-month tour in Iraq,blogs for VoteVets.org and is helping to drum up support for the bill. The Austin resident says the Bush administration and some members of Congress argue the act would hurt troop retention.

“It’s totally bogus,” he said. “It sounds too good to be true because all these Republican senators are going against it saying it will hurt troop retention.”

David Beckwith, a spokesman for Cornyn, said the Pentagon declared the Webb-Hagel bill would harm the ability to retain people in the military.

“Basically, it would encourage people to quit and go to school,” he said. “It would improve recruiting, but we would lose people in the end.”

Horton said the reality is a majority join the military for one reason.

“The fact of the matter is 75 percent of people who enlist get out anyway to take advantage of the education they wanted to because that’s the number one reason why people enlist: education,” he said.

Beckwith said Cornyn’s Texas office has not received much response from the ads. He called it a tactic to gain media attention.

Horton says the issue is personal for him because he wants to begin college in the fall.

“It’s either going to be today’s bill, which is very inadequate with the issue of rising tuition,” he said. “I basically have to make a decision: work or go to school.”