[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1277 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1277

   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a high 
      technology education pilot program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2017

   Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Heller, Mrs. Capito, and Mr. Risch) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a high 
      technology education pilot program, 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 ``Veteran Employment Through 
Technology Education Courses Act of 2017'' or the ``VET TEC Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HIGH TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall provide eligible 
veterans with the opportunity to enroll in high technology programs of 
education.
    (b) Eligibility.--For purposes of the pilot program under this 
section, an eligible veteran is a veteran who is entitled to 
educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary.
    (c) Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of carrying out subsection 
        (a), by not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the 
        State approving agencies and as the Secretary considers 
        applicable, seek to enter into contracts with multiple 
        qualified providers of high technology programs of education 
        for the provision of such programs to eligible veterans under 
        the pilot program.
            (2) Payment of contractors.--A contract under this 
        subsection shall provide that the Secretary shall pay to a 
        provider--
                    (A) 25 percent of the cost of providing the program 
                of education upon the enrollment of an eligible veteran 
                in the program;
                    (B) 25 percent of such cost upon the completion of 
                the program by the veteran; and
                    (C) 50 percent of such cost upon the employment of 
                the veteran in a field related to the course of study, 
                following completion of the program.
            (3) Qualified providers.--For purposes of the pilot 
        program, a provider of a high technology program of education 
        is qualified if the provider--
                    (A) has been operational for at least two years and 
                has offered, for at least two years, the credential it 
                plans to offer under the pilot program;
                    (B) verifies, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, 
                that each credential it plans to offer through the 
                pilot program has demonstrated market value based on 
                the employment and earnings of its participants in that 
                program during the most recent two-year period; and
                    (C) has the ability to evaluate job placement rates 
                and earnings through means other than survey data or 
                self-reported data, such as through agreements with 
                State or Federal agencies.
            (4) Tuition reimbursement.--In entering into contracts to 
        carry out the pilot program, the Secretary shall give 
        preference to a qualified provider that offers tuition 
        reimbursement for any student who--
                    (A) completes a program of education offered by the 
                provider; and
                    (B) does not find full-time meaningful employment 
                within the 180-day period beginning on the date the 
                student completes the program.
            (5) Limitation on tuition.--In the case of a qualified 
        provider that is a for-profit organization, the tuition charged 
        for a high technology program of education under a contract 
        under this subsection may not exceed 125 percent of the average 
        tuition charged by nonprofit organizations for similar 
        programs, as determined by the Secretary.
            (6) Removal of contractors.--The Secretary shall remove 
        from participation in the pilot program any qualified provider 
        that increases the tuition for a high technology program of 
        education under a contract under this subsection by more than 
        10 percent in any year as compared to the previous year.
    (d) Housing Stipend.--The Secretary shall pay to each eligible 
veteran who is enrolled in a high technology program of education under 
the pilot program on a full-time basis a monthly housing stipend equal 
to the product--
            (1) of--
                    (A) in the case of a veteran pursuing resident 
                training, the monthly amount of the basic allowance for 
                housing payable under section 403 of title 37, United 
                States Code, for a member with dependents in pay grade 
                E-5 residing in the military housing area that 
                encompasses all or the majority portion of the ZIP code 
                area in which is located the institution at which the 
                individual is enrolled; or
                    (B) in the case of a veteran pursuing a program of 
                education through distance learning, a monthly amount 
                equal to 50 percent of the amount payable under 
                subparagraph (A), multiplied by
            (2) the lesser of--
                    (A) 1.0; or
                    (B) the number of course hours borne by the 
                individual in pursuit of the program of education 
                involved, divided by the minimum number of course hours 
                required for full-time pursuit of such program of 
                education, rounded to the nearest multiple of 10.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) Secretary of veterans affairs.--Not later than one year 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on 
        the pilot program under this section.
            (2) Comptroller general.--
                    (A) Interim report.--Not later than three years 
                after the date on which the Secretary first enters into 
                a contract under this section, the Comptroller General 
                of the United States shall submit to Congress a report 
                containing the results of the interim assessment of the 
                Comptroller General. Such report shall include the 
                following:
                            (i) The recommendations of the Comptroller 
                        General for improving the pilot program.
                            (ii) An assessment of each of the 
                        following:
                                    (I) The technology experience of 
                                the directors and instructors of the 
                                providers of high technology programs 
                                of education under the pilot program.
                                    (II) Whether the providers 
                                cooperated with the technology industry 
                                to create the curriculum for the 
                                program of education.
                                    (III) Whether the providers use an 
                                open source curriculum for the program 
                                of education.
                                    (IV) The admittance rate into the 
                                pilot program.
                                    (V) The completion rate for 
                                veterans who participate in the pilot 
                                program.
                                    (VI) The average age of veterans 
                                who participate in the pilot program.
                                    (VII) The job placement rate for 
                                veterans who completed a program of 
                                education under the pilot program.
                                    (VIII) Whether the employment of 
                                veterans who completed a program of 
                                education under the pilot program was 
                                part or full time.
                                    (IX) Whether a veteran who found 
                                employment after completing a program 
                                of education under the pilot program 
                                was employed in a field related to the 
                                course of study under the program of 
                                education.
                    (B) Final report.--Not later than five years after 
                the date on which the Secretary first enters into a 
                contract under this section, the Comptroller General 
                shall submit to Congress a final report on the pilot 
                program. Such report shall include the recommendation 
                of the Comptroller General with respect to whether the 
                program should be extended and an assessment of each of 
                the following:
                            (i) Each item described in subclauses (I) 
                        through (IX) of subparagraph (A)(ii).
                            (ii) The percentage of veterans who 
                        completed a program of education under the 
                        pilot program who were subsequently employed 
                        for a period of six months or longer.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) High technology program of education.--The term ``high 
        technology program of education'' means a program of education 
        that--
                    (A) is offered by an entity other than an 
                institution of higher learning;
                    (B) does not lead to a degree; and
                    (C) provides instruction in computer programming, 
                computer software, media application, data processing, 
                or information sciences.
            (2) State approving agency.--The term ``State approving 
        agency'' means a department or agency of a State designated 
        under section 3671 of title 38, United States Code.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $15,000,000 for each 
fiscal year during which the Secretary carries out a pilot program 
under this section.
    (h) Termination.--The authority to carry out a pilot program under 
this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the 
date on which the Secretary first enters into a contract under this 
section.
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