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.
Borrower Defense CRA Press Conference Remarks from Veteran Tasha Berkhalter
On February 12, 2020, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference in support of Senator Durbin's Congressional Review Act Resolution to overturn the 2019 Department of Education [...]
Veterans Education Success Thanks Congress for Passing Important COVID-19 Fix for GI Bill and other VA-Funded Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tanya Ang, Vice President, (202) 838-5050 March 19, 2020 Congress Clears Important COVID-19 Fix for GI Bill and other VA-Funded Students WASHINGTON, DC: This morning, Congress cleared an important COVID-19 fix [...]
Our Statement for the Record: Legislative Priorities for 2020
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEES ON VETERANS AFFAIRS SECOND SESSION 116TH CONGRESS March 9, 2020 Chairmen Moran and Takano, Ranking Members Tester and Bilirakis, and Members of [...]
Our Statement for the Record: March 10th HVAC Economic Opportunity Subcommittee Hearing
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON PENDING LEGISLATION SUBMITTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 10 2020 Chairman Levin, Ranking Member Bilirakis, and Members of [...]
Our Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun: How to Stop For-Profit Colleges from Preying on Veterans
Our President Carrie Wofford's op-ed with Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and Aaron Ament, President of Student Defense. By Wesley K. Clark, Carrie Wofford and Aaron Ament For The Baltimore [...]
Our Statement for the Record on Pending Legislation: House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON PENDING LEGISLATION SUBMITTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 6, 2020 Chairman Levin, Ranking Member Bilirakis, and Members of [...]
LEGISLATION WE ARE TRACKING
These are some of the bills in Congress we are tracking.
Military and Veterans Education Protection Act
Sen. Carper's bill to close 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.