Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina cribbed a few details today from a Democratic colleague for their version of the GI bill, which helps pay for college for military veterans.

But both men say their version is still superior to the one offered by Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, which is wrapped inside the massive war supplemental package being considered in the Senate, reports Barb Barrett.

The pair, along with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, increased the annual payment for books to $1,000, allowed Guard and Reservists to more easily qualify for benefits and eliminated the $1,200 join-up fee for military members to participate in the program.

All match details of the Webb bill.

But in a news conference today, Burr and Graham said their bill will better help retention in the military. It allows military members to transfer half their college benefits to a spouse or child after six years, and 100 percent of the benefits after 12 years.

“I am not going to sit on the sidelines and under feel-good politics create a program that will hurt America’s ability to retain its force,” Graham said. “Now is not the time to put a benefit on the table that incentivizes people to leave the military.”

Read more after the jump.

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State Sen. Kay Hagan used the news that Fort Bragg troops are returning to Iraq to attack Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

In a written statement, Hagan said, "The news yesterday that Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team will return to Iraq in the fall as part of the Pentagon’s 'regular rotation' of troops underscores the issues that this Administration and Elizabeth Dole have failed to address," said Hagan, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

Hagan also criticized Dole opposition to an improved GI Bill sponsored by Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. Dole supports a competing bill co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr.

"When these brave men and women return home, they deserve support and care that is befitting the sacrifices they have made for our country, not another deployment mere months later, without an end in sight," Hagan said in a statement.

A Dole spokesman downplayed Hagan's statement.

"Mrs. Hagan should spend less time playing political games and more time figuring out her own position on the War in Iraq," said Hogan Gidley, a spokesman. "Meanwhile Sen. Dole will continue to be a leader on Senate initiatives that hold the Administration accountable on Iraq – like requiring the Iraqi Government to pay a decidedly greater share for their own reconstruction."

The Senate is poised to vote as soon as today on a new, generous GI Bill tucked inside a massive funding measure. It could affect 1.4 million men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

The Bush administration opposes the legislation. Department of Defense officials said this spring that the richer benefits could tempt soldiers to leave the military.

The new GI Bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, would cover the cost of attending the most expensive, in-state public institution in a veteran's home state, along with a monthly housing stipend. It would cost about $50 billion over 10 years.

For months, members of Congress have been hearing from troops who say they can only afford one semester a year, or that they can only afford local community colleges — not major universities.

Sen. Richard Burr, the top Republican on the Senate Veteran Affairs committee, has his own plan for the GI Bill, ideas that align more closely with the Pentagon's concerns about retention.

Burr's proposal, written with GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, would raise monthly payments from $1,100 to $1,500 for active-duty troops and to $1,200 for Guard and Reserve troops. Guard and Reservists now often receive just a few hundred dollars a month.

His bill also allows troops to give their education dollars to relatives after 12 years in the military, a provision to improve retention that earned Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole's support as a co-sponsor. (N&O)