WASHINGTON — A new GI Bill improving educational benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has picked up support, with a majority of both House members and senators backing the legislation.

Among the backers of the bill is Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i, who threw his support behind it after some administrative changes were made by the bill's author, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.

"I strongly support Sen. Webb's effort to make sure our fighting men and women receive quality educational benefits," said Akaka, whose actions as Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman could mean success or failure for the bill.

Webb changed the bill to make it easier for the Veterans Affairs Department to implement it.

"I am pleased that my administrative concerns have been addressed, and I am proud to add my name as a co-sponsor of this important bill as revised," Akaka said.

Another boost occurred Thursday, when Sen. Carl Levine, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also signed on as a co-sponsor.

The revised bill, introduced April 10 and backed by most veterans organizations, would increase the education benefit for service members who have served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, including the National Guard and reserves.

The bill now has backing from 57 senators, including Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i. An identical bill in the House has picked up support from 218 members, including Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, also a co-sponsor.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he supports the bill.

Webb said he also has a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., another co-sponsor, to get it to the Senate floor for debate and a vote this year.

"They are looking for the right way to bring it to the floor," Webb said.

Earlier this month, Reid said he was considering attaching the bill to the emergency spending bill Congress is working on for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He also said he would weigh making it part of the defense authorization bill for next year, which Democrats hope to complete by the end of May.

Both plans may run into problems since President Bush has threatened to veto any emergency war spending bill that contains money for domestic programs over what he requested for the wars. And, putting it into the defense authorization bill means sponsors will have to find money to pay for it.

Defense and Veterans Affairs officials also have argued the bill will interfere with their management of the military. Besides being too expensive and more administratively complex than the present GI Bill, they say it would make it more difficult to retain experienced troops beyond their first hitch.

Webb said the changes made to accommodate Akaka's concerns were "smart" ones and focused on issues raised by the VA.

One change would delay the date of the first payments for a year after the bill becomes law to give the Veterans Affairs Department time to implement it. Another would authorize $95 million for more staffing and information technology upgrades to handle the expanded benefits.

A final change would make payments for tuition and fees directly to the educational institutions to cut down on fraud or overpayment.

The proposed benefit would pay tuition and fees for the most expensive public university in the state where the veteran resides and includes an allowance for books and housing.

Veterans also could use the benefit to help pay tuition at more expensive private institutions. If the school helped the veteran with tuition costs, the government would match it dollar for dollar.

The present GI Bill, which provides $1,101 a month for 36 months of school, covers only about 73 percent of the cost of attending public universities for a nine-month academic year and less than 31 percent at private institutions, according to the Congressional Research Service. Veterans receive monthly benefits only when they are actually in school.

No final cost for the bill has been computed but the Congressional Budget Office estimated it to run between $2.5 billion and $4 billion in its first year.

Webb said he is waiting for firmer projections.