[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3130 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3130

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the disapproval 
 of any course of education for purposes of the educational assistance 
 programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs unless the educational 
   institution providing the course permits individuals to attend or 
  participate in courses pending payment by Department, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 25, 2018

 Ms. Warren (for herself, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Tester) 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 for the disapproval 
 of any course of education for purposes of the educational assistance 
 programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs unless the educational 
   institution providing the course permits individuals to attend or 
  participate in courses pending payment by Department, 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 ``Servicemembers Improved Transition 
through Reforms for Ensuring Progress Act of 2018'' or the ``SIT-REP 
Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. DISAPPROVAL FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF CERTAIN COURSES OF 
              EDUCATION THAT DO NOT PERMIT INDIVIDUALS TO ATTEND OR 
              PARTICIPATE IN COURSES PENDING PAYMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 3679 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, 
beginning on August 1, 2018, a State approving agency, or the Secretary 
when acting in the role of the State approving agency, shall disapprove 
a course of education provided by an educational institution that has 
in effect a policy that is inconsistent with any of the following:
            ``(A) A policy that permits any covered individual to 
        attend or participate in the course of education during the 
        period beginning on the date on which the individual provides 
        to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for 
        entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 of 
        this title and ending on the earlier of the following dates:
                    ``(i) The date on which the Secretary provides 
                payment for such course of education to such 
                institution.
                    ``(ii) The date that is 90 days after the date on 
                which the educational institution certifies for tuition 
                and fees following receipt from the student such 
                certificate of eligibility.
            ``(B) A policy that ensures that the educational 
        institution will not impose any penalty, including the 
        assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, 
        libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the 
        requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, 
        on any covered individual because of the individual's inability 
        to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due 
        to the delayed disbursement of a payment to be provided by the 
        Secretary under chapter 31 or 33 of this title.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, a covered individual is any 
individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31 
or 33 of this title.
    ``(3) The Secretary may waive such requirements of paragraph (1) as 
the Secretary considers appropriate.''.
    (b) Prompt Payments.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that the 
        Secretary makes a payment to an educational institution on 
        behalf of an individual, who is entitled to educational 
        assistance under chapter 31 or 33 of title 38, United States 
        Code, and who is using such assistance to pursue a program of 
        education at the educational institution, not later than 60 
        days after the date on which the educational institution 
        certifies to the Secretary the applicable tuition and fees for 
        the individual.
            (2) Semiannual reports.--Not later than May 1 and October 1 
        of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives a semiannual report 
        summarizing any cases in which the Secretary failed to make a 
        payment described in paragraph (1) within the period set forth 
        in such paragraph and an explanation for each delayed 
        disbursement of payment.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--In a case in which an individual is 
unable to meet his or her financial obligation to an educational 
institution due to the delayed disbursement of a payment to be provided 
by the Secretary under chapter 31 or 33 of such title and the amount of 
such disbursement is less than anticipated, nothing in section 3679(e) 
of such title, as added by subsection (a), shall be construed to 
prohibit an educational institution from requiring additional payment 
or imposing a fee for the amount that is the difference between the 
amount of the financial obligation and the amount of the disbursement.
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