[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4085 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4085

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2019

Mr. Bilirakis 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 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 ``Student Veteran Empowerment Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. CHARGE TO ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS 
              WHO DO NOT TRANSFER CREDITS FROM CERTAIN DISAPPROVED 
              PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (c) of section 3699 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Period Not Charged.--(1) The period for which, by reason of 
this subsection, educational assistance is not charged against 
entitlement or counted toward the applicable aggregate period under 
section 3695 of this title shall not exceed the aggregate of--
            ``(A) the portion of the period of enrollment in the course 
        from which the individual did not receive credit or with 
        respect to which the individual lost training time, as 
        determined under subsection (b)(2); and
            ``(B) the period by which a monthly stipend is extended 
        under section 3680(a)(2)(B) of this title.
    ``(2)(A) An individual described in paragraph (2) who transfers 
fewer than 12 credits from a program of education that is disapproved 
as described in subsection (b)(1)(B) shall be deemed to be an 
individual who did not receive such credits, as described in subsection 
(b)(2), except that the period for which such individual's entitlement 
is not charged shall be the entire period of the individual's 
enrollment in the program of education. In carrying out this 
subparagraph, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Education, shall establish procedures to determine whether the 
individual transferred credits to a comparable course or program of 
education.
    ``(B) An individual described in this paragraph is an individual 
who is enrolled in a course or program of education discontinued as 
described in subsection (b)(1)(B) during the period beginning on the 
date that is 120 days before the date of such discontinuance and ending 
on the date of such discontinuance.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROVAL OF EDUCATIONAL 
              INSTITUTIONS FOR PURPOSES OF THE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE 
              PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3675(b) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(4) The educational institution is approved and 
        participates in a program under title IV of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) or the Secretary 
        has waived the requirement under this paragraph with respect to 
        an educational institution and submits to the Committees on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
        notice of such waiver for each calendar quarter for which such 
        waiver applies.
            ``(5) The educational institution has agreed to abide by 
        the Principles of Excellence under Executive Order 13607, as in 
        effect on the date of the enactment of this paragraph, or the 
        Secretary has waived the requirement under this paragraph with 
        respect to an educational institution and submits to the 
        Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
        Representatives notice of such waiver for each calendar quarter 
        for which such waiver applies.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. OVERSIGHT OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS PLACED ON HEIGHTENED CASH 
              MONITORING STATUS BY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 3673 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Notice of Cash Monitoring Status.--(1) If the Secretary 
receives notice under paragraph (2) with respect to an educational 
institution, the Secretary shall provide such notice to the State 
approving agency for the State where the educational institution is 
located by not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary 
receives such notice. Not later than 60 days after receiving such 
notice, the State approving agency shall perform a risk-based oversight 
visit to the educational institution.
    ``(2) Notice under this paragraph is any of the following:
            ``(A) Notice from the Secretary of Education that pursuant 
        to section 487(c)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1094) an educational institution is receiving payments 
        under the heightened cash monitoring payment method.
            ``(B) Notice that the Attorney General, the Federal Trade 
        Commission, or any other Federal department or agency has taken 
        legal action against an educational institution relating to 
        misleading marketing status or misconduct, as defined by the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    ``(3) If a State approving agency disapproves or suspends an 
educational institution, the State approving agency shall provide 
notice of such disapproval or suspension to the Secretary and to the 
other State approving agencies. Upon receipt of notice relating to an 
educational institution under this paragraph, a State approving agency 
shall perform a risk-based oversight visit to the educational 
institution.
    ``(4) This subsection shall be carried out using amounts made 
available pursuant to section 3674(a)(4) of this title as long as such 
amounts remain available.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT FOR PURPOSES OF RECEIPT OF POST-9/11 
              EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE BENEFITS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Verification of Enrollment.--The Secretary shall require each 
individual who is enrolled in a course or program of education and is 
receiving educational assistance under this chapter to submit to the 
Secretary verification of such enrollment for each month during which 
the individual is so enrolled and receiving such educational 
assistance. Verification under this subsection shall be in an 
electronic form prescribed by the Secretary.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on August 1, 2020.
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