[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2344. Mr. SCHATZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:
SEC. ___. IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR PURPOSES OF
VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) Requirement Relating to G.I. Bill Comparison Tool.--
(1) Requirement to maintain tool.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall maintain the G.I. Bill Comparison Tool
that was established pursuant to Executive Order 13607 (77
Fed. Reg. 25861; relating to establishing principles of
excellence for educational institutions serving service
members, veterans, spouses, and other family members) and in
effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act,
or a successor tool, to provide relevant and timely
information about programs of education approved under
chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, and the
educational institutions that offer such programs.
(2) Data retention.--The Secretary shall ensure that
historical data that is reported via the tool maintained
under paragraph (1) remains easily and prominently accessible
on the benefits.va.gov website, or a successor website, for a
period of not less than six years from the date of initial
publication.
(b) Providing Timely and Relevant Education Information to
Veterans, Members of the Armed Forces, and Other
Individuals.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
in consultation with the Secretary of Education, the
Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other relevant
Federal agencies, shall make such changes to the tool
maintained under subsection (a) as the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs determines appropriate to ensure that such tool is an
effective and efficient method for providing information
pursuant to section 3698(b)(5) of title 38, United States
Code.
(2) Memorandum of understanding required.--Not later than
two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into a
memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Education
and the heads other relevant Federal agencies, as the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines appropriate, to
obtain information on outcomes with respect to individuals
who are entitled to educational assistance under the laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and who are
attending educational institutions. Such memorandum of
understanding may include data sharing or computer matching
agreements.
(3) Modification of scope of comprehensive policy on
providing education information.--Section 3698 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``veterans and members
of the Armed Forces'' and inserting ``individuals entitled to
educational assistance under laws administered by the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs''; and
(B) in subsection (b)(5)--
(i) by striking ``veterans and members of the Armed
Forces'' and inserting ``individuals described in subsection
(a)''; and
(ii) by striking ``the veteran or member'' and inserting
``the individual''.
(4) G.I. bill comparison tool required disclosures.--
Paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of such section is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the
following:
``(B) for each individual described in subsection (a)
seeking information provided under subsection (b)(5), the
name of each Federal student aid program, and a description
of each such program, from which the individual may receive
educational assistance;'';
(B) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in clause (i), by inserting ``and a definition of each
type of institution'' before the semicolon;
(ii) in clause (iv), by inserting ``and if so, which
programs'' before the semicolon;
(iii) by striking clause (v) and inserting the following:
``(v) the average annual cost and the total cost to earn an
associate's degree and a bachelor's degree, with available
cost information on any other degree or credential the
institution awards;'';
(iv) in clause (vi), by inserting before the semicolon the
following: ``disaggregated by--
``(I) the type of beneficiary of educational assistance;
``(II) individuals who received a credential and
individuals who did not; and
``(III) individuals using educational assistance under laws
administered by the Secretary and individuals who are not'';
(v) in clause (xiv), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(vi) in clause (xv), by striking the period at the end and
inserting a semicolon; and
(vii) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
``(xvi) the number of veterans or members who completed
covered education at the institution leading to--
``(I) a degree, disaggregated by type of program,
including--
``(aa) an associate degree;
``(bb) a bachelor's degree; and
``(cc) a postbaccalaureate degree; and
``(II) a certificate or professional license, disaggregated
by type of certificate or professional license;
``(xvii) programs available and the average time for
completion of each program;
``(xviii) employment rate and median income of graduates of
the institution in general two and five years after
graduation, disaggregated by--
``(I) specific program; and
``(II) individuals using educational assistance under laws
administered by the Secretary and individuals who are not;
and
``(xix) the number of individuals using educational
assistance under laws administered by the Secretary who are
enrolled in the both the institution and specific program per
year.''.
(5) Clarity and anonymity of information provided.--
Paragraph (2) of such subsection is amended--
(A) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``To the extent''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(B) The Secretary shall ensure that information provided
pursuant to subsection (b)(5) is provided in a manner that is
easy for, and accessible to, individuals described in
subsection (a).
``(C) In providing information pursuant to subsection
(b)(5), the Secretary shall maintain the anonymity of
individuals described in subsection (a) and, to the extent
that a portion of any data would undermine such anonymity,
ensure that such data is not made available pursuant to such
subsection.''.
(c) Improvements for Student Feedback.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (b)(2) of such section is
amended--
(A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
``(A) provides institutions of higher learning--
``(i) up to 30 days to review and respond to feedback from
individuals described in subsection (a) and address issues
regarding the feedback before the feedback is published; and
``(I) if an institution of higher learning contests the
accuracy of the feedback, the opportunity to challenge the
inclusion of such data with an official appointed by the
Secretary;'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(C) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``that conforms with
criteria for relevancy that the Secretary shall determine.''
and inserting ``, and responses from institutions of higher
learning to such feedback, that conform with criteria for
relevancy that the Secretary shall determine;''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(D) for each institution of higher learning that is
approved under this chapter, retains, maintains, and
publishes all of such feedback for not less than six years;
and
``(E) is easily accessible to individuals described in
subsection (a) and to the general public.''.
(2) Accessibility from g.i. bill comparison tool.--The
Secretary shall ensure that--
(A) the feedback tracked and published under subsection
(b)(2) of such section, as amended by paragraph (1), is
prominently displayed in the tool maintained under subsection
(a) of this section; and
(B) when such tool displays information for an institution
of higher learning, the applicable feedback is also displayed
for such institution of higher learning.
(d) Training for Provision of Education Counseling
Services.--
(1) In general.--Not less than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that
personnel employed by the Department of Veteran Affairs, or a
contractor of the Department, to provide education benefits
counseling, vocational or transition assistance, or similar
functions, including employees or contractors of the
Department who provide such counseling or assistance as part
of the Transition Assistance Program, are trained on how--
(A) to use properly the tool maintained under subsection
(a); and
(B) to provide appropriate educational counseling services
to individuals described in section 3698(a) of such title, as
amended by subsection (b)(3)(A).
(2) Transition assistance program defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``Transition Assistance Program'' means
the program of counseling, information, and services under
section 1142 of title 10, United States Code.
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