Veterans Education Success works with Congress to ensure GI Bill students’ voices are heard and that higher education meets their needs.
Congressman Mark Takano, now Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, meets with Veterans Education Success and student veterans from community colleges nationwide, June 2016
STATEMENTS ABOUT LEGISLATION
Here are our statements on legislation.
Our Statement for the Record on the October, 2023, Legislative Hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBMITTED TO THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 118TH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION October 18, 2023 Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Levin, and Members of the Subcommittee: We [...]
Our Statement for the Record on the June 14, 2023, Legislative Hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBMITTED TO THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 118TH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION June 14, 2023 Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Levin, and Members of the Subcommittee: We [...]
Our Statement for the Record on the June 2024 Legislative Hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBMITTED TO THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 118TH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION June 12, 2024 Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Levin, and Members of the Subcommittee: We [...]
Statement for the Record Submitted to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs 118th Congress, First Session
Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran, and Members of the Committee: We thank you for the opportunity to share this statement for consideration during this hearing, which includes many notable bills addressing topics in higher education [...]
Our Statement for the Record on the March 30, 2023, Legislative Hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Levin, and Members of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the Committee on Veterans Affairs: We thank you for the opportunity to share our views regarding legislation under consideration by the [...]
Our Press Release: Senate Passes Important “VETS Credit Act” Unanimously, Bill Heads to the President for Signature
December 21, 2022 Contact: Will Hubbard VP for Veterans & Military Policy [email protected] (703) 379-3822 PRESS RELEASE: Senate Passes Important “VETS Credit Act” Unanimously, Bill Heads to the President for Signature Today, we celebrate the [...]
LEGISLATION WE ARE TRACKING
These are some of the bills in Congress we are tracking.
Veterans Eligible to Transfer School Credit Act (HR 6604): School Closure Benefits Restoration
The devastating trend of school closures continues to negatively affect student veterans, leaving them with questions about their GI Bill benefits. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) inappropriately set a requirement for veterans to [...]
Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the process by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines whether an educational institution meets requirements relating to the percentage of students who receive educational assistance [...]
HR 3486: Recognizing Military Service in PSLF Act
"To direct the Secretary of Education to deem each month for which certain Federal student loans are in deferment during a period of active duty service as months counted toward public service loan forgiveness." Sponsored [...]
MSO/VSO Letter Supporting the Expansion of the MLA to All Americans in the 117th Congress
May 21, 2021 The Honorable Sherrod Brown, Chairman Senate Committee on Banking SD-534 Dirksen Senate Office Committee Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Jack Reed Senate Committee on Banking SD-534 Dirksen Senate Office Committee [...]
Bipartisan amendment to delay implementation of 90/10 loophole closure in the COVID relief reconciliation package
Below is the text of the bipartisan amendment to delay implementation of the 90/10 loophole closure in the American Recovery Act (COVID relief reconciliation plan). This deal was brokered between Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill [...]
U.S. Senate Closes 90/10 Loophole in Bipartisan Amendment to COVID Relief Reconciliation Package
On Saturday, March 6, 2021, at approximately 7 a.m., the Senate approved, by voice vote, a bipartisan amendment to delay the implementation of -- and thereby secure bipartisan agreement to support -- the 90/10 loophole [...]
OUR LEGISLATIVE SUCCESSES
- Protect the GI Bill Act
- Passed unanimously both the House and Senate in December 2020, as Sections 1001-1025 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020
- Requires common-sense oversight of schools through risk-based reviews triggered by Education Department or accreditor monitoring, federal or state punitive action, or conversion from for-profit status.
- Strengthens the ban on deceptive college recruiting.
- Restores GI Bill and Voc Rehab for students whose schools close or are disapproved.
- Requires schools (not students) to repay VA any tuition overpayments and helps prevent overpayments by requiring schools to re-certify after the add/drop period and by requiring students to verify enrollment monthly.
- Protects students from failing schools. If a school is terminated by the Education Department or at risk of losing accreditation, VA must act. Also requires law schools to be properly accredited.
- Requires schools to honor deployments and provide students a point of contact and clear information about the program, including cost, graduation and job placement rates. Also stops same-day recruiting and more than 3 unsolicited recruiting attempts.
- Sunsets the Montgomery GI Bill and delays by 6 months the date at which servicemembers have to choose whether to pay into it.
- Extends in-state tuition at public colleges to veterans, regardless of their residency and date of separation from the military
- Passed unanimously both the House and Senate in December 2020, as Sections 1001-1025 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020
- Borrower Defense Congressional Review Act Resolution
- We secured bipartisan victories in both the House and Senate to stop Betsy DeVos’ rule that makes it almost impossible for students to get loan forgiveness if their college defrauded them. Despite our bipartisan victories, President Trump vetoed the Act.
- We brought student veterans to speak out in press conferences with both the House and Senate.
- Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018
- Passed unanimously both the House and Senate at the end of December 2018, signed into law January 2019 as Public Law No. 115-407.
- Sec. 103 forbids schools from forcing GI Bill students to pay penalties or late fees or denies them access to classes, libraries, and facilities if VA payment is late (“Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act” a.k.a. “SIT-REP”);
- Sec. 102 provides GI Bill students with proof of their housing allowance to meet landlord requirements;
- Sec. 105 aligns monthly housing allowance for high tech pilot with rest of GI Bill programs;
- Sec. 504 requires VA to study and begin addressing VA’s debt collection practices of clawing back GI Bill from students.
- Passed unanimously both the House and Senate at the end of December 2018, signed into law January 2019 as Public Law No. 115-407.
- Ethics Law to Prohibit For-Profit Colleges From Giving VA Employees Gifts, Stock, Dividends, Salaries, etc.(2018)
- Cleared Congress in September 2018, as section 302 of S.3469
- Speaker Paul Ryan & Sen. Patty Murray Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
- Our Work Stopping the House PROSPER Act (2018). When the Chairwoman of the House Education Committee (who takes more money from for-profit colleges than almost any other Member of Congress) tried to push through a bill to hurt students and steer federal funds to for-profit colleges, we led the effort to stop her bill — and we won.
- 33 Veterans & Military Leaders’ letter to House leaders opposing House PROSPER Act
- Veterans & Military Leaders’ leave-behind wish list for HEA
- VFW letter to Chair & Ranking of Senate & House Education Committees (available upon request to VFW)
- 2018 Student Veterans of America letter
- 2018 US Education Dept. Office of Inspector General letter on Higher Education Act
- Big 10 student government association leaders oppose House PROSPER Act
- US Defense Department position paper opposing 2018 House bill
- US Navy position paper opposing 2018 House bill
- “Forever GI Bill” Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017
- Signed into law Aug. 2017 as Public Law 115-48, incorporating:
- Reinstatement of GI Bill for veterans whose school closed (section 109) (based on HR 1216: Protecting Veterans from School Closures Act of 2017 and Veterans Education Relief and Reinstatement Act) (Committee report here)
- Provision to ensure colleges do not manipulate veterans’ housing allowance (section 107)
- Quality controls on GI Bill for coding boot camps (Sec. 116)
- Quality controls on GI Bill for independent study (Sec. 30)
- Tracking student outcomes (Sec. 114)
- VA may task State Approving Agencies with school oversight including compliance and risk-based surveys (Sec. 310)
- Signed into law Aug. 2017 as Public Law 115-48, incorporating:
- Our work stopping a bill that would have allowed predatory colleges’ unfettered access to military bases (Manchin Amendment, July 2016):
- Career Ready Student Veterans Act of 2016
- Signed into law Dec. 2016 as Section 409 of Public Law 114-315. Our press release
- This landmark bill stops VA from wasting GI Bill at education programs in licensed occupations that leave graduates ineligible for the job, based on our research paper, “The GI Bill Pays for Degrees That Do Not Lead to a Job.”
- Defense Department Tuition Assistance Restrictions (2014)
- Signed into law Dec. 2013 – 10 U.S.C. 2006a, 2014 National Defense Authorization Act s. 541
- This stops the Defense Department from wasting tuition assistance at education programs that leave graduates ineligible for the job.
- Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012
- Signed into law Jan. 2013
- Requires VA to create an online college search tool (the GI Bill Comparison Tool) and a system for handling student complaints, and bans incentive compensation for college recruiters.
