“Dee’s Bill”, according to Delisi, was inspired by a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center with Dee Thurman, wife of Lieutenant General James D. Thurman, the former commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood.
“While visiting the American heroes, Dee and I were touched by the children standing by their parent's bedsides," Delisi recalled. "In past wars, soldiers with profound injuries often became fatalities. However, today's advanced medical care means many of these soldiers are returning to their loved ones. Unfortunately, some of these brave men and women may have suffered injuries too great for them to return to civilian employment."
"By including these totally disabled veteran's children under the Hazlewood Act, we remove one source of concern for soldiers trying to recover from their injuries. They will know with certainty that their children will be able to go to college," Delisi concluded. "It is one small thing we can do to honor their sacrifices on our behalf."
The Hazlewood Act is an education benefit that enables Texas veterans to attend a public college or university after exhausting their federal "G.I. Bill" benefits by directing these institutions to waive tuition and most fees. In 2006, the U.S. Congress expanded the federal benefit to include the children of disabled veterans.