[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 996 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 996

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a veterans 
             education certification and outreach program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 18, 1993

Mr. Montgomery (for himself and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a veterans 
             education certification and outreach program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. VETERANS EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end of subchapter II the following new 
section:
``Sec. 3697B. Veterans education outreach program
    ``(a) The Secretary shall provide funding for offices of veterans 
affairs at institutions of higher learning, as defined in section 
3452(f), in accordance with this section.
    ``(b)(1)(A) The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of 
appropriations, make payments to any institution of higher learning, 
under and in accordance with this section, during any fiscal year if 
the number of persons eligible for services from offices assisted under 
this section at the institution is at least 50, determined in the same 
manner as the number of eligible veterans or eligible persons is 
determined under section 3684(c).
    ``(B) The persons who are eligible for services from the offices 
assisted under this section are persons receiving educational 
assistance administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
including assistance provided under chapter 106 of title 10.
    ``(2) To be eligible for a payment under this section, an 
institution of higher learning or a consortium of institutions of 
higher learning, as described in paragraph (3), shall make an 
application to the Secretary. The application shall--
            ``(A) set forth such policies, assurances, and procedures 
        that will ensure that--
                    ``(i) the funds received by the institution, or 
                each institution in a consortium of institutions 
                described in paragraph (3), under this section will be 
                used solely to carry out this section;
                    ``(ii) for enhancing the functions of its veterans 
                education outreach program, the applicant will expend, 
                during the academic year for which a payment is sought, 
                an amount equal to at least the amount of the award 
                under this section from sources other than this or any 
                other Federal program; and
                    ``(iii) the applicant will submit to the Secretary 
                such reports as the Secretary may require or as are 
                required by this section;
            ``(B) contain such other statement of policies, assurances, 
        and procedures as the Secretary may require in order to protect 
        the financial interests of the United States;
            ``(C) set forth such plans, policies, assurances, and 
        procedures as will ensure that the applicant will maintain an 
        office of veterans' affairs which has responsibility for--
                    ``(i) veterans' certification, outreach, 
                recruitment, and special education programs, including 
                the provision of or referral to educational, 
                vocational, and personal counseling for veterans; and
                    ``(ii) providing information regarding other 
                services provided veterans by the Department, including 
                the readjustment counseling program authorized under 
                section 1712A, the programs of veterans employment and 
                training authorized under the Job Training Partnership 
                Act and the Service Members Occupational Conversion and 
                Training Act of 1992, and the programs carried out 
                under chapters 41 and 42; and
            ``(D) be submitted at such time or times, in such manner, 
        in such form, and contain such information as the Secretary 
        determines necessary to carry out the functions of the 
        Secretary under this section.
    ``(3) An institution of higher learning which is eligible for 
funding under this section and which the Secretary determines cannot 
feasibly carry out, by itself, any or all of the activities set forth 
in paragraph (2)(C), may carry out such program or programs through a 
consortium agreement with one or more other institutions of higher 
learning in the same community.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall not approve an application under this 
subsection unless the Secretary determines that the applicant will 
implement the requirements of paragraph (2)(C) within the first 
academic year during which it receives a payment under this section.
    ``(5) Any institution which received funding under section 420A of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 during fiscal year 1993 shall be 
eligible under this section for fiscal year 1994.
    ``(c)(1)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the amount of the payment 
which any institution shall receive under this section for any fiscal 
year shall be $100 for each person who is described in subsection 
(b)(1)(B).
    ``(B) The maximum amount of payments to any institution of higher 
learning, or any branch thereof which is located in a community which 
is different from that in which the parent institution thereof is 
located, in any fiscal year is $75,000.
    ``(2)(A) The Secretary shall pay to each institution of higher 
learning which has had an application approved under subsection (b) the 
amount which it is to receive under this section. If the amount 
appropriated for any fiscal year is not sufficient to pay the amounts 
which all such institutions are to receive, the Secretary shall ratably 
reduce such payments. If any amount becomes available to carry out this 
section for a fiscal year after such reductions have been imposed, such 
reduced payments shall be increased on the same basis as they were 
reduced.
    ``(B) In making payments under this section for any fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall apportion the appropriation for making such 
payments, from funds which become available as a result of the 
limitation on payments set forth in paragraph (1)(B), in an equitable 
manner.
    ``(d) The Secretary, in carrying out the provisions of this 
section, shall seek to assure the coordination of programs assisted 
under this section with other programs carried out by the Department 
pursuant to this title, and the Secretary shall provide all assistance, 
technical consultation, and information otherwise authorized by law as 
necessary to promote the maximum effectiveness of the activities and 
programs assisted under this section.
    ``(e)(1) From the amounts made available for any fiscal year under 
subsection (f), the Secretary shall retain one percent or $10,000, 
whichever is less, for the purpose of collecting information about 
exemplary veterans educational outreach programs and disseminating that 
information to other institutions of higher learning having such 
programs on their campuses. Such collection and dissemination shall be 
done on an annual basis.
    ``(2) From the amounts made available under subsection (f), the 
Secretary may retain not more than two percent for the purpose of 
administering this section.
    ``(f) Out of amounts made available for the payment of readjustment 
benefits for each fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1993, 
$3,000,000 shall be made available to carry out this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 3697A the following new item:

``3697B. Veterans education outreach program.''.

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