[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2549 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2549

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
   the administration of the educational assistance programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2017

  Mr. Coffman (for himself and Mr. O'Rourke) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
   the administration of the educational assistance programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ``GI Bill Processing Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF INFORMATION REGARDING VETERAN ENTITLEMENT TO 
              EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 36 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 3699. Provision of certain information to educational 
              institutions
    ``For each veteran or other individual pursuing a course of 
education that has been approved under this chapter using educational 
assistance to which the veteran or other individual is entitled under 
chapter 30, 32, 33, or 35 of this title, the Secretary shall make 
available to the educational institution offering the course 
information about the amount of such educational assistance to which 
the veteran or other individual is entitled. Such information shall be 
provided to such educational institution through a secure information 
technology system accessible by the educational institution and shall 
be regularly updated to reflect any amounts used by the veteran or 
other individual.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
3698 the following new item:

``3699. Provision of certain information to educational 
                            institutions.''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION.

    Section 3692 of such title is amended by striking ``December 31, 
2017'' and inserting ``December 31, 2022''.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON USE OF REPORTING FEES PAYABLE TO EDUCATIONAL 
              INSTITUTIONS AND JOINT APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING 
              COMMITTEES.

    Section 3684(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows:
    ``(c)(1) The Secretary may pay to any educational institution, or 
to the sponsor of a program of apprenticeship, furnishing education or 
training under either this chapter or chapter 31, 34, or 35 of this 
title, a reporting fee which will be in lieu of any other compensation 
or reimbursement for reports or certifications which such educational 
institution or joint apprenticeship training committee is required to 
submit to the Secretary by law or regulation.
    ``(2) Such reporting fee shall be computed for each calendar year 
by multiplying $16 by the number of eligible veterans or eligible 
persons enrolled under this chapter or chapter 31, 34, or 35 of this 
title, or $15 in the case of those eligible veterans and eligible 
persons whose educational assistance checks are directed in care of 
each institution for temporary custody and delivery and are delivered 
at the time of registration as provided under section 3680(d)(4) of 
this title, during the calendar year. The reporting fee shall be paid 
to such educational institution or joint apprenticeship training 
committee as soon as feasible after the end of the calendar year for 
which it is applicable.
    ``(3) No reporting fee payable to an educational institution under 
this subsection shall be subject to offset by the Secretary against any 
liability of such institution for any overpayment for which such 
institution may be administratively determined to be liable under 
section 3685 of this title unless such liability is not contested by 
such institution or has been upheld by a final decree of a court of 
appropriate jurisdiction.
    ``(4) Any reporting fee paid to an educational institution or joint 
apprenticeship training committee after the date of the enactment of 
the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2011 
(Public Law 111-377)--
            ``(A) shall be utilized by such institution or committee 
        solely for the making of certifications required under this 
        chapter or chapter 31, 34, or 35 of this title or for otherwise 
        supporting programs for veterans; and
            ``(B) with respect to an institution that has 75 or more 
        enrollees described in paragraph (2), may not be used for or 
        merged with amounts available for the general fund of the 
        educational institution or joint apprenticeship training 
        committee.
    ``(5) The reporting fee payable under this subsection shall be paid 
from amounts appropriated for readjustment benefits.''.

SEC. 5. TRAINING FOR SCHOOL CERTIFYING OFFICIALS.

    (a) Training Requirement.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, 
in consultation with the State approving agencies, set forth 
requirements relating to training for school certifying officials 
employed by covered educational institutions offering courses of 
education approved under chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code. If 
a covered educational institution does not ensure that a school 
certifying official employed by the educational institution meets such 
requirements, the Secretary may disapprove any course of education 
offered by such educational institution.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``covered educational institution'' means an 
        educational institution that has enrolled 20 or more 
        individuals using educational assistance under title 38, United 
        States Code.
            (2) The term ``school certifying official'' means an 
        employee of an educational institution with primary 
        responsibility for certifying veteran enrollment at the 
        educational institution.
            (3) The term ``State approving agency'' means a department 
        or agency of a State designated under section 3671 of title 38, 
        United States Code.

SEC. 6. STATE APPROVING AGENCY FUNDING.

    (a) Increase.--Section 3674(a) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``out of amounts 
        available for the payment of readjustment benefits'' and 
        inserting ``out of amounts in the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs readjustment benefits account and amounts appropriated 
        to the Secretary'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5);
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph (4):
    ``(4) There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
section $3,000,000 for each fiscal year.''; and
            (4) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``The total'' and inserting ``(A) 
                The total'';
                    (B) by striking ``$19,000,000'' and inserting 
                ``$21,000,000''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
    ``(B) Whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable 
under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a 
result of a determination made under section 215(i) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 415(i)), the Secretary shall, effective on the date of such 
increase in benefit amounts, increase the amount in effect under 
subparagraph (A), as in effect immediately prior to the date of such 
increase in benefit amounts payable under title II of the Social 
Security Act, by the same percentage as the percentage by which such 
benefit amounts are increased.''.
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