WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in introducing the Sergeant First Class Sean Cooley and Specialist Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Act, a bipartisan bill to establish the Gold Star Family Fellowship Program under which certain family members of deceased members of the Armed Forces or deceased veterans may serve a 12-month fellowship in the office of a Member of the Senate.
“America is the land of the free because the brave, and we are in debt to the family members whose loved ones sacrificed their lives in the defense of our freedom,” said Senator Cramer. “By creating a fellowship program in Congress, our legislation would give Gold Star family members a front row seat to history and a chance to learn more about our system of government and the ways they can bring about positive change for our nation.”
The fellowship program is funded through legislative branch appropriations, and the 12-month fellowship would be conducted in a Washington, D.C. or state office, at no cost to either the family member or the accepting member of Congress. This program was successfully implemented in the U.S. House of Representatives last Congress.
Senators Cramer and Blackburn are joined on the bill by Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R- IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).