Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act

IIB 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2878 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 19, 2021 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs AN ACT To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 HR 2878 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native VetSuccess at 2 Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. NATIVE VETSUCCESS AT TRIBAL COLLEGES AND 4 UNIVERSITIES PILOT PROGRAM. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 6 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 7 Veterans Affairs shall carry out a five-year pilot program, 8 to be known as the ‘‘Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges 9 and Universities Pilot Program’’. Under such pilot pro- 10 gram the Secretary shall— 11 (1) identify three regional Native VetSuccess 12 service areas consisting of at least two participating 13 Tribal colleges or universities; 14 (2) assign to each regional Native VetSuccess 15 service area a VetSuccess on Campus counselor and 16 a full-time Vet Center outreach coordinator, both of 17 whom shall be based on one or more of the partici- 18 pating Tribal colleges or universities in the service 19 area; and 20 (3) provide for eligible students at such partici- 21 pating colleges and universities with all services for 22 which such students would be eligible under the 23 VetSuccess on Campus program of the Department 24 of Veterans Affairs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 HR 2878 RFS (b) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—For purposes of the pilot 1 program, an eligible student is a student who is a veteran, 2 member of the Armed Forces, or dependent of a veteran 3 or member of the Armed Forces who is eligible for any 4 service or benefit under the VetSuccess on Campus pro- 5 gram of the Department. 6 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In developing 7 the pilot program under this section, the Secretary, acting 8 through the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program 9 of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in coordination 10 with the Office of Tribal Government Relations of the De- 11 partment, shall consult with Indian tribes, Tribal organi- 12 zations, and veterans service organizations regarding each 13 of the following: 14 (1) The design of the pilot program. 15 (2) The selection of the three regional Native 16 VetSuccess service areas and participating Tribal 17 colleges and universities, taking into consideration— 18 (A) the number of eligible students en- 19 rolled in the college or university and in the re- 20 gional service area; 21 (B) the capacity of the colleges and univer- 22 sities in the regional service area to accommo- 23 date a full-time VetSuccess on Campus coun- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 HR 2878 RFS selor and a full-time Vet Center outreach coor- 1 dinator; 2 (C) the lack of information available at the 3 colleges and universities in the regional service 4 area about and lack of access to benefits and 5 services under the laws administered by the 6 Secretary; and 7 (D) any other factor that the Secretary or 8 the Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and vet- 9 erans service organizations identify as relevant. 10 (3) The most effective way to provide culturally 11 competent outreach and services to eligible students 12 at Tribal colleges and universities. 13 (d) OUTREACH TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.— 14 The Secretary shall provide notice of the pilot program 15 to all Tribal colleges and universities and encourage all 16 Tribal colleges and universities to coordinate with each 17 other to create regional service areas to participate in the 18 pilot program. 19 (e) BRIEFINGS AND REPORTS.— 20 (1) IMPLEMENTATION BRIEFING.—Not later 21 than one year after the date of the enactment of this 22 Act, the Secretary shall provide for the Committee 23 on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Natural 24 Resources of the House of Representatives and the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 HR 2878 RFS Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee 1 on Indian Affairs of the Senate a briefing on— 2 (A) the design, structure, and objectives of 3 the pilot program; and 4 (B) the three regional Native Vet Success 5 service areas and the Tribal colleges and uni- 6 versities selected for participation in the pilot 7 program and the reason for the selection of 8 such service areas and such colleges and univer- 9 sities. 10 (2) REPORT.—Not later than four years after 11 the date on which the Secretary establishes the pilot 12 program, the Secretary shall submit to such Com- 13 mittees a report on the pilot program. Such report 14 shall include each of the following: 15 (A) The number of eligible students pro- 16 vided services through the pilot program. 17 (B) The types of services that eligible stu- 18 dents received through the pilot program. 19 (C) The graduation rate of eligible stu- 20 dents who received services through the pilot 21 program. 22 (D) The rate of employment within one 23 year of graduation for eligible students who re- 24 ceived services through the pilot program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 HR 2878 RFS (E) Feedback from each Tribal college or 1 university that participated in the pilot pro- 2 gram, including on the regional nature of the 3 program. 4 (F) Analysis of the feasibility of expanding 5 a regionally based Native VetSuccess at Tribal 6 Colleges and Universities Program, including an 7 explanation of the challenges of such a model 8 due to issues with distance, communication, and 9 coordination, and to the level of unmet services. 10 (G) A detailed legislative proposal regard- 11 ing a long-term extension of the pilot program, 12 including a budget, if the Secretary determines 13 that such an extension is appropriate. 14 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 (1) The term ‘‘Tribal college or university’’ has 16 the meaning given such term under section 316 of 17 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 18 1059c). 19 (2) The term ‘‘tribal organization’’ has the 20 meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian 21 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 22 (25 U.S.C. 450b). 23 (3) The term ‘‘culturally competent’’ means 24 considerate of the unique values, customs, traditions, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 HR 2878 RFS cultures, and languages of Native American vet- 1 erans. 2 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HIGH 3 TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM. 4 Subsection (g) of section 116 of the Harry W. 5 Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 6 (Public Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3001 note), as amended 7 by section 4302 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, 8 M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement 9 Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–315), is amended to read 10 as follows: 11 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 12 shall be made available for carrying out the pilot program 13 under this section from funds appropriated to, or other- 14 wise made available to, the Department for the payment 15 of readjustment benefits, in the following amounts for a 16 fiscal year in which the Secretary carries out the pilot pro- 17 gram: 18 ‘‘(1) For fiscal year 2019, $62,000,000. 19 ‘‘(2) For fiscal year 2020, $63,000,000. 20 ‘‘(3) For fiscal year 2021, $90,000,000. 21 ‘‘(4) For fiscal year 2022, $90,000,000. 22 ‘‘(5) For fiscal year 2023, $60,000,000. 23 ‘‘(6) For fiscal year 2024, $0.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 HR 2878 RFS SEC. 4. PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO STU- 1 DENTS WHO ARE ‘‘ROUNDING OUT’’ UNDER 2 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF 3 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3680(a) of title 38, 5 United States Code, is amended— 6 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph 7 (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 8 (2) by adding at the end the following new 9 paragraph: 10 ‘‘(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the case of 11 an eligible veteran or eligible person who is pursuing a 12 program of education on less than a half-time basis during 13 a period that is the last semester, term, or academic period 14 the veteran or person will be enrolled in the program of 15 education because the veteran or person will complete the 16 program of education at the end of that semester, term 17 or academic period, the Secretary may, pursuant to such 18 regulations as the Secretary shall prescribe, provide to the 19 veteran or person educational assistance under chapter 30, 20 32, 33, 34, or 35 of this title or under chapter 1606 of 21 title 10, including a monthly housing stipend described in 22 section 3313(c) of this title, on the basis of the total num- 23 ber of credits or courses in which the veteran or person 24 is enrolled, if— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 HR 2878 RFS ‘‘(A) the number of credits the veteran or per- 1 son needs to complete the program of education is 2 less than the number of credits that would constitute 3 enrollment on a more than half-time basis for that 4 last semester, term, or academic period; and 5 ‘‘(B) the veteran or person— 6 ‘‘(i) is enrolled in, or has completed, every 7 course offered by the program of education dur- 8 ing the last semester, term, or academic period 9 in which the veteran or person is enrolled in the 10 program of education; and 11 ‘‘(ii) enrolls in an additional course that is 12 not required for the completion of such pro- 13 gram of education and the enrollment in the 14 non-required course in addition to the required 15 course or courses in which the veteran or per- 16 son is enrolled constitutes enrollment on more 17 than a half-time basis.’’. 18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 19 subsection (a) shall take effect on August 1, 2021, and 20 apply with respect to any semester, term, or academic pe- 21 riod that begins on or after that date. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 HR 2878 RFS SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES. 1 Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 2 is amended by striking ‘‘October 1, 2030’’ each place it 3 appears and inserting ‘‘December 9, 2030’’. 4 SEC. 6. EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF DEPARTMENT OF 5 VETERANS AFFAIRS ASSISTANCE FOR HOME- 6 LESS VETERANS. 7 (a) EXPANSION.—Subsection (a) of section 2041 of 8 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 9 (1) in paragraph (1)— 10 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 11 (A), by inserting ‘‘or permanent housing’’ after 12 ‘‘shelter’’; 13 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 14 ‘‘named in, or approved by the Secretary under, 15 section 5902 of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘that 16 is the recipient of a grant under section 2011, 17 2013, 2044, or 2061 of this title’’; and 18 (C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 19 tribal entity,’’ after ‘‘State’’; and 20 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)— 21 (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘or to sell or 22 rent the property directly to homeless veterans 23 or veterans at-risk of homelessness’’ after ‘‘fam- 24 ilies’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 HR 2878 RFS (B) in each of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), by 1 striking the comma and inserting a semicolon. 2 (b) EXTENSION.—Subsection (c) of such section is 3 amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2017’’ and inserting 4 ‘‘September 30, 2025’’. 5 SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 6 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 7 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 8 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 9 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 10 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 11 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro- 12 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 13 vote on passage. 14 Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2021. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS