[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2297 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2297

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify and improve certain 
             benefits for veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 2, 2003

  Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Brown of South 
  Carolina, and Mr. Michaud) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify and improve certain 
             benefits for 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. EXPANSION OF MONTGOMERY GI BILL EDUCATION BENEFITS FOR 
              CERTAIN SELF-EMPLOYMENT TRAINING.

    (a) Self-Employment Training.--Subparagraph (B) of section 3002(3) 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of clause (i); and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(iii) a program of self-employment on-job 
                        training approved as provided in section 
                        3677(d) of this title; and''.
    (b) Program Approval.--Section 3677 of such title is amended--
            (1) in subsections (a) and (c), by inserting ``self-
        employment on-job training or'' after ``(other than a program 
        of'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ``described in 
        subsection (a)'' after ``offering training''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) Any State approving agency may approve a program of self-
employment on-job training for purposes of chapter 30 of this title 
only when the agency finds that the training is generally recognized as 
needed or accepted for purposes of obtaining licensure to engage in a 
self-employment occupation or is required for ownership and operation 
of a franchise that is the objective of the training.
    ``(2) The training entity offering the training for which approval 
is sought under this chapter must submit to the State approving agency 
a written application for approval, in such form and with such content 
as the Secretary may specify, including such information as is required 
by the State approving agency.
    ``(3) As a condition for approving a program of self-employment on-
job training, the State approving agency must find that the following 
criteria are met:
            ``(A) The training content is adequate to qualify the 
        eligible individual for the self-employment occupation that is 
        the objective of the training.
            ``(B) The training consists of full-time training for a 
        period of less than six months.
            ``(C) The length of the training period is not longer than 
        that customarily required to obtain the knowledge, skills, and 
        experience needed to successfully engage in the particular 
        self-employment occupation that is the objective of the 
        training.
            ``(D) The training entity has adequate instructional space, 
        equipment, materials, and personnel to provide satisfactory 
        training on the job.
            ``(E) The training entity maintains adequate records of 
        each trainee's progress toward the self-employment objective 
        and, at the successful completion of the training, issues a 
        license, certificate, or other document recording the 
        individual's successful completion of the training program.
            ``(F) The training entity and the self-employment on-job 
        training program meet such other criteria as the Secretary may 
        prescribe and as the State approving agency, with the approval 
        of the Secretary, may establish.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (2) of section 3687(a) of such 
title is amended by inserting ``subsections (a), (b), and (c) of'' 
before ``section 3677''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date that is 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and shall apply to self-employment on-job training approved 
and pursued on or after that date.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF VETERANS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION.

    (a) Extension.--Subsection (c) of section 3692 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by striking ``December 31, 2003'' and inserting 
``December 31, 2009''.
    (b) Modification of Membership Requirements.--The second sentence 
of subsection (a) of such section is amended by striking ``World War 
II, the Korean conflict era, the post-Korean conflict era,''.
    (c) Technical Amendment.--Such section is further amended by 
striking ``chapter 106'' each place it appears and inserting ``chapter 
1606''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM.

    (a) Termination of Program.--No loans shall be made under 
subchapter III of chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and such subchapter shall be 
repealed 90 days after such date of enactment.
    (b) Closing of Loan Fund.--All monies in the revolving fund 
established in the Treasury of the United States of America known as 
the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Education Loan Fund'' (the 
``Fund'') on the day before the date of repeal of such subchapter III 
shall be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs Readjustment 
Benefits Account, and the Fund shall be closed.
    (c) Discharge of Liability.--The liability on any education loan 
debt outstanding under such subchapter III shall be discharged, and any 
overpayments declared under section 3698(e)(1) of that subchapter shall 
be waived without further process on the date funds are transferred as 
referred to in subsection (b) of this section.
    (d) Technical Amendment.--On the date of repeal of such subchapter 
III, as provided herein, the table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 36 shall be amended by striking the items relating to 
subchapter III.
    (e) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 3462(a) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (2).
    (2) Section 3485(e)(1) of such title is amended by striking 
``(other than an education loan under subchapter III)''.
    (3) Section 3512 of such title is amended by striking out 
subsection (f).
    (4) The amendments made by paragraphs (2) and (3) shall take effect 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR STATE CEMETERY GRANTS.

    Paragraph (2) of section 2408(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``through fiscal year 2004''; and
            (2) by adding at the end ``Funds appropriated under the 
        preceding sentence shall remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 5. FORFEITURE OF BENEFITS FOR SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Addition of Certain Offenses.--Paragraph (2) of section 6105(b) 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``175, 229,'' after ``sections''; and
            (2) by inserting ``831, 1091, 2332a, 2332b,'' after 
        ``798,''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to claims filed after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF MAINTENANCE REGIONAL OFFICE IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE 
              PHILIPPINES.

    Section 315(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``December 31, 2003'' and inserting ``December 31, 2005''.
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