[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1175-H1176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              G.I. AND VETERANS EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4852) to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available to veterans certain 
additional information about postsecondary educational institutions, 
and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4852

       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 ``G.I. and Veterans Education 
     Empowerment Act'' or the ``GIVE Act''.

     SEC. 2. INFORMATION PROVIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS ABOUT POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL 
                   INSTITUTIONS.

       (a) Additional Information To Be Provided.--Subsection (c) 
     of section 3698 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)(C)--
       (A) in clause (xi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in clause (xii), by striking the period and inserting a 
     semicolon; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
       ``(xiii) whether the institution is listed on the College 
     Navigator website as affiliated with a religion and, if so, 
     which religious denomination;
       ``(xiv) whether the Secretary of Education or other head of 
     a department or agency of the Federal Government has 
     determined that the institution is a minority serving 
     institution and, if so, which one or more types of minority 
     serving institutions; and
       ``(xv) whether the institution is gender specific.''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the following 
     new sentence: ``To the extent practicable, the Secretary 
     shall ensure that such information is provided in a 
     searchable format.''.
       (b) Definition.--Subsection (f) of such section is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(3) The term `College Navigator website' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 132 of the Higher Education Act 
     (20 U.S.C. 1015a).
       ``(4) The term `minority serving institution' means any of 
     the following:
       ``(A) A part B institution, as such term is defined in 
     section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
     1061(2)).

[[Page H1176]]

       ``(B) A Hispanic-serving institution, as such term is 
     defined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
     1101a(5)).
       ``(C) A Tribal College or University, as such term is 
     defined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
     1059c(b)(3)).
       ``(D) A predominantly Black institution, as such term is 
     defined in section 318(b)(6) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
     1059e(b)(6)).
       ``(E) A Native American-serving, nontribal institution, as 
     such term is defined in section 319(b)(2) of such Act (20 
     U.S.C. 1059f(b)(6)).
       ``(F) An Alaska Native-serving institution or Native 
     Hawaiian-serving institution, as such terms are defined in 
     section 317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).
       ``(G) An Asian American and Native American Pacific 
     Islander-serving institution, as such term is defined in 
     section 320(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)).''.
       (c) Application.--The amendments made by this section shall 
     apply with respect to the information provided under section 
     3698 of title 38, United States Code, beginning on the date 
     that is two years after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. 
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 4852.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4852, the G.I. and Veterans 
Education Empowerment Act, also known as the GIVE Act.
  H.R. 4852, introduced by Representative Torres, provides veterans 
with more information about educational institutions prior to their 
enrollment. Too often veterans find their educational institutions are 
not good fits for their educational goals and drop out or transfer to 
other institutions after wasting time and benefits.
  After transferring, veterans lose credits from their transferring 
institutions or simply give up on acquiring a new skill set altogether 
because an institution does not meet their needs.
  Madam Speaker, the GIVE Act addresses an overlooked cause for 
veterans dropping out or transferring to other institutions: cultural 
incongruence.
  I have observed countless instances where veterans begin their 
studies only to find out that they are not comfortable on the campus of 
their educational institution.
  Congress created the GI Bill Comparison Tool to provide veterans with 
more information when they consider where they will pursue a 
postsecondary education. While the GI Bill Comparison Tool provides 
veterans with data on tuition and costs, accreditation, and cautionary 
information, there are gaps in the information regarding campus 
culture.
  For example, the GI Bill Comparison Tool does not inform a Catholic 
veteran, who may be interested in attending a Catholic institution, if 
an institution is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.
  Madam Speaker, small pieces of information like that are critical to 
helping veterans assimilate to life on campus.
  Data on campus culture are collected by the Department of Education 
but are not currently displayed on the GI Bill Comparison Tool website. 
Now, if enacted, the GIVE Act will require VA to provide prospective 
student veterans with information on whether an institution is minority 
serving, gender specific, or has a religious affiliation.
  Madam Speaker, this bill will simply require the GI Bill Comparison 
Tool to display information to help veterans choose the right school 
the first time.

                              {time}  1630

  This bill will also help veterans choose a campus that is aligned 
with their values and reduce the number of transfers due to cultural 
incompatibility.
  We owe it to our veterans to give them the most accurate and relevant 
information that will allow them to efficiently obtain a new skill set 
so they can reenter the labor force and find meaningful opportunities.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Torres for her work on this 
important issue.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in passing 
H.R. 4852, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 4852, the G.I. and 
Veterans Education Empowerment, or GIVE, Act.
  This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide 
additional information on schools listed on the GI Bill Comparison 
Tool. The tool was first authorized by legislation sponsored by 
Congressman Gus Bilirakis from Florida, the ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, in 2013 to give servicemembers 
and veterans the opportunity to compare information on GI Bill-eligible 
schools to determine which school is right for them.
  The tool is modeled off the Department of Education's College 
Navigator website, which contains information about tuition and fee 
costs, policies on transferring credits, and whether an institution is 
private, nonprofit, or public.
  H.R. 4852 would add three additional data points to the tool to 
ensure that it captures information about whether an institution is 
affiliated with a religion, serves a specific group of minorities, or 
is gender-specific.
  As the old saying goes, information is power. I am sure that this 
additional information will help GI Bill users choose the right school 
to fit their specific needs and, ultimately, ensure their success in 
higher education and beyond.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Norma Torres from California for 
her work on this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to 
support it.
  Madam Speaker, having used the GI Bill myself many, many years ago, 
it is an invaluable tool for our veterans. We know that the GI Bill was 
really one of the major things that helped create the America we live 
in today, as post-World War II veterans left, came out, used the GI 
Bill, went to college, and really helped create this great country we 
live in.
  Two years ago, we passed a bill that would make the GI Bill forever, 
so that if you lose your job when you are 45 years old or 50 years old, 
if you are a veteran, you can go back and use that GI Bill to retrain 
and continue your education.
  This bill helps further clarify and helps veterans use that 
information better for themselves and their families.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I again urge all of my colleagues to pass 
H.R. 4852.
  Our veterans deserve to have the most accurate information available 
to them as they are making their choices about the institutions where 
they would like to use their GI Bill.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4852.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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