[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2231 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2231

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide an incremental 
    increase in amounts of educational assistance for survivors and 
            dependents of veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 23, 2002

Mr. Specter (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide an incremental 
    increase in amounts of educational assistance for survivors and 
            dependents of veterans, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Survivors' and Dependents' 
Educational Assistance Adjustment Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. INCREMENTAL INCREASE IN RATES OF SURVIVORS' AND DEPENDENTS' 
              EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance.--Section 
3532 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``at the monthly 
                rate of'' and all that follows and inserting ``at the 
                monthly rate of--
            ``(A) for months occurring during fiscal year 2003, $900 
        for full-time, $676 for three-quarter-time, or $450 for half-
        time pursuit; and
            ``(B) for months occurring during a subsequent fiscal year, 
        $985 for full-time, $740 for three-quarter-time, or $492 for 
        half-time pursuit.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``at the rate 
                of'' and all that follows and inserting ``at the rate 
                of the lesser of--
            ``(A) the established charges for tuition and fees that the 
        educational institution involved requires similarly 
        circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in the same program to pay; 
        or
            ``(B)(i) for months occurring during fiscal year 2003, $900 
        per month for a full-time course; or (ii) for months occurring 
        during a subsequent fiscal year, $985 per month for a full-time 
        course.'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``at the rate of'' and 
        all that follows and inserting ``at the rate of--
            ``(1) for months occurring during fiscal year 2003, $900 
        per month; and
            ``(2) for months occurring during a subsequent fiscal year, 
        $985 per month.''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ``shall be'' and all 
        that follows and inserting ``shall be--
            ``(A) for months occurring during fiscal year 2003, $727 
        for full-time, $545 for three-quarter-time, or $364 for half-
        time pursuit; and
            ``(B) for months occurring during a subsequent fiscal year, 
        $795 for full-time, $596 for three-quarter-time, or $398 for 
        half-time pursuit.''.
    (b) Correspondence Courses.--Section 3534(b) of that title is 
amended by striking ``for each $670'' and all that follows and 
inserting ``for each amount which is paid to the spouse as an 
educational assistance allowance for such course as follows:
            ``(1) For amounts paid during fiscal year 2003, $900.
            ``(2) For amounts paid during a subsequent fiscal year, 
        $985.''.
    (c) Special Restorative Training.--Section 3542(a) of that title is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(a)'';
            (2) by designating the second sentence as paragraph (2) and 
        indenting such paragraph, as so designated, two ems from the 
        left margin;
            (3) in paragraph (1), as so designated, by striking ``the 
        basic rate of $670 per month.'' and inserting ``the basic rate 
        of--
            ``(A) for months occurring during fiscal year 2003, $900 
        per month; and
            ``(B) for months occurring during a subsequent fiscal year, 
        $985 per month.''; and
            (4) in paragraph (2), as so designated--
                    (A) by striking ``$184 per calendar month'' and 
                inserting ``$282 per calendar month for months 
                occurring during fiscal year 2003, or $307 per calendar 
                months for months occurring during a subsequent fiscal 
                year''; and
                    (B) by striking ``$184 a month'' and inserting 
                ``$282 a month for months occurring during fiscal year 
                2003, or $307 a month for months occurring during a 
                subsequent fiscal year''.
    (d) Apprenticeship Training.--Section 3687(b)(2) of that title is 
amended by striking ``shall be $488 for the first six months'' and all 
that follows and inserting ``shall be--
            ``(A) $655 for the first six months, $490 for the second 
        six months, $325 for the third six months, and $164 for the 
        fourth and any succeeding six-month period of training, if such 
        six-month period of training begins during fiscal year 2003; 
        and
            ``(B) $717 for the first six months, $536 for the second 
        six months, $356 for the third six months, and $179 for the 
        fourth and any succeeding six-month period of training, if such 
        six-month period of training begins during a subsequent fiscal 
        year.''.
    (e) Effective Date.--(1) The amendments made by this section shall 
take effect as of October 1, 2003, and shall apply with respect to 
educational assistance allowances payable under chapter 35 and section 
3687(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, for months beginning on or 
after that date.
    (2) No adjustment in rates of monthly training allowances shall be 
made under section 3687(d) of title 38, United States Code, for fiscal 
years 2003 and 2004.

SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF DURATION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.

    Section 3511(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``45 months'' and all that follows and inserting ``45 months, 
or 36 months in the case of a person who first files a claim for 
educational assistance under this chapter after the date of the 
enactment of the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance 
Adjustment Act of 2002, or to the equivalent thereof in part-time 
training.''.

SEC. 4. INCREASE IN AGGREGATE ANNUAL AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR STATE 
              APPROVING AGENCIES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.

    (a) Increase in Amount.--Section 3674(a)(4) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended in the first sentence by striking ``may not 
exceed $13,000,000'' and all that follows through the end and inserting 
``may not exceed $18,000,000.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on October 1, 2002.
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