Veteran Education Empowerment Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3586 To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Student Veteran Centers. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 28, 2021 Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida (for herself, Mr. WALTZ, and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist insti- tutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Student Veteran Centers. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Education 4 Empowerment Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Over 1,000,000 veterans attend institutions 8 of higher education each year. 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3586 IH (2) Veterans face unique challenges in transi- 1 tioning from the battlefield to the classroom and 2 eventually to the workforce, including: age dif- 3 ferences, family obligations, significant time away 4 from academic life, and service-related disabilities. 5 (3) The National Education Association found 6 that student veterans can feel lonely and vulnerable 7 on campus and that ‘‘connecting student veterans 8 can effectively ease this isolation’’ by bringing to- 9 gether new student veterans with those who have al- 10 ready successfully navigated the first few semesters 11 of college. 12 (4) According to Mission United—a United 13 Way program that helps veterans re-acclimate to ci- 14 vilian life—it is often ‘‘essential’’ for student vet- 15 erans to be mentored by ‘‘another veteran who un- 16 derstands their mindset and experience’’. 17 (5) Student Veteran Centers are recognized as 18 an institutional best practice by Student Veterans of 19 America. 20 (6) The American Council on Education, which 21 represents more than 1,700 institutions of higher 22 education across the United States, has called hav- 23 ing a dedicated space for veterans on campus ‘‘a 24 promising way for colleges and universities to better 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3586 IH serve veterans on campus’’ and a ‘‘critical’’ compo- 1 nent of many colleges’ efforts to serve their student 2 veterans. 3 (7) The Department of Education included as 4 one of its 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success that colleges 5 and universities should ‘‘coordinate and centralize 6 campus efforts for all veterans, together with the 7 creation of a designated space for them’’. 8 (8) Budget constraints often make it difficult or 9 impossible for institutions of higher education to 10 dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student 11 centers. 12 (9) The 110th Congress authorized the funding 13 of Student Veteran Centers through the Centers of 14 Excellence for Veteran Student Success under part 15 T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 16 (20 U.S.C. 1161t). Congress also chose to appro- 17 priate funding for this program for fiscal year 2015 18 under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Ap- 19 propriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113–235). 20 (10) According to the Department of Edu- 21 cation, federally funded Student Veteran Centers 22 and staff have generated improved recruitment, re- 23 tention, and graduation rates, have helped student 24 veterans feel better connected across campus, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3586 IH have directly contributed to the successful academic 1 outcomes of student veterans. 2 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND 3 IMPROVE STUDENT VETERAN CENTERS. 4 Part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t) is amended to read as follows: 6 ‘‘PART T—GRANTS FOR STUDENT VETERAN 7 CENTERS 8 ‘‘SEC. 873. GRANTS FOR STUDENT VETERAN CENTERS. 9 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the avail- 10 ability of appropriations under subsection (h), the Sec- 11 retary shall award grants to institutions of higher edu- 12 cation or consortia of institutions of higher education to 13 assist in the establishment, maintenance, improvement, 14 and operation of Student Veteran Centers. 15 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 16 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—An institution or consor- 17 tium seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall sub- 18 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 19 such manner, and containing such information as 20 the Secretary may require. 21 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary may award a 22 grant under subsection (a) to an institution or a 23 consortium if the institution or consortium meets 24 each of the following criteria: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3586 IH ‘‘(A) The institution or consortium enrolls 1 in undergraduate or graduate courses— 2 ‘‘(i) a significant number of student 3 veterans, members of the Armed Forces 4 serving on active duty, or members of a re- 5 serve component of the Armed Forces; or 6 ‘‘(ii) a significant percentage of stu- 7 dent veterans, members of the Armed 8 Forces serving on active duty, or members 9 of a reserve component of the Armed 10 Forces, 11 as measured by comparing, for the most recent aca- 12 demic year for which data are available, the number 13 or percentage of student veterans, members of the 14 Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members 15 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who are 16 enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses at the 17 institution or consortium, with the average number 18 or percentage of student veterans, members of the 19 Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members 20 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who 21 were enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses 22 at comparable institutions or consortia of institu- 23 tions. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3586 IH ‘‘(B) The institution or consortium pre- 1 sents a sustainability plan to demonstrate that 2 the Student Veteran Center will be maintained 3 and will continue to operate after the grant pe- 4 riod has ended. 5 ‘‘(3) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding 6 grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall pro- 7 vide the following: 8 ‘‘(A) Priority consideration to institutions 9 or consortia that meet one or more of the fol- 10 lowing criteria: 11 ‘‘(i) The institution or consortium is 12 located in a region or community that has 13 a significant population of veterans. 14 ‘‘(ii) The institution or consortium 15 considers the need to serve student vet- 16 erans at a wide range of institutions of 17 higher education, including the need to 18 provide equitable distribution of grants to 19 institutions of various sizes, geographic lo- 20 cations, and institutions in urban and 21 rural areas. 22 ‘‘(iii) The institution or consortium 23 carries out programs or activities that as- 24 sist veterans in the local community, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3586 IH the spouses or partners and children of 1 student veterans. 2 ‘‘(iv) The institution or consortium 3 partners in its veteran-specific program- 4 ming with nonprofit veteran service organi- 5 zations, local workforce development orga- 6 nizations, or other institutions of higher 7 education. 8 ‘‘(v) The institution or consortium 9 commits to hiring a staff at the Student 10 Veteran Center that includes veterans (in- 11 cluding student veteran volunteers and stu- 12 dent veterans participating in a Federal 13 work-study program under part C of title 14 IV, a work-study program administered by 15 the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, or a 16 State work-study program). 17 ‘‘(vi) The institution or consortium 18 commits to providing an orientation for 19 student veterans that— 20 ‘‘(I) is separate from the new 21 student orientation provided by the in- 22 stitution or consortium; and 23 ‘‘(II) provides student veterans 24 with information on the benefits and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3586 IH resources available to such students at 1 or through the institution or consor- 2 tium. 3 ‘‘(vii) The institution or consortium 4 commits to using a portion of the grant re- 5 ceived under this section to develop or 6 maintain a student veteran retention pro- 7 gram carried out by the Student Veteran 8 Center. 9 ‘‘(viii) The institution or consortium 10 commits to providing mental health coun- 11 seling to its student veterans (and the 12 spouses or partners and children of such 13 students). 14 ‘‘(B) Equitable distribution of such grants 15 to institutions or consortia of various sizes, geo- 16 graphic locations, and in urban and rural areas. 17 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An institution or consor- 19 tium that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) 20 shall use such grant to establish, maintain, improve, 21 or operate a Student Veteran Center. 22 ‘‘(2) OTHER ALLOWABLE USES.—An institution 23 or consortium receiving a grant under subsection (a) 24 may use a portion of such grant to carry out sup- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3586 IH portive instruction services for student veterans, in- 1 cluding— 2 ‘‘(A) assistance with special admissions 3 and transfer of credit from previous postsec- 4 ondary education or experience; and 5 ‘‘(B) any other support services the insti- 6 tution or consortium determines to be necessary 7 to ensure the success of student veterans in 8 achieving education and career goals. 9 ‘‘(d) AMOUNTS AWARDED.— 10 ‘‘(1) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 11 subsection (a) shall be for a 4-year period. 12 ‘‘(2) TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANT AND SCHED- 13 ULE.—Each grant awarded under subsection (a) 14 may not exceed a total of $500,000. The Secretary 15 shall disburse to an institution or consortium the 16 amount awarded under the grant in such amounts 17 and at such times during the grant period as the 18 Secretary determines appropriate. 19 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—From the amounts appropriated to 20 carry out this section, and not later than 3 years after 21 the date on which the first grant is awarded under sub- 22 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re- 23 port on the grant program established under subsection 24 (a), including— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3586 IH ‘‘(1) the number of grants awarded; 1 ‘‘(2) the institutions of higher education and 2 consortia that have received grants; 3 ‘‘(3) with respect to each such institution of 4 higher education and consortium— 5 ‘‘(A) the amounts awarded; 6 ‘‘(B) how such institution or consortium 7 used such amounts; 8 ‘‘(C) a description of the demographics of 9 student veterans (and spouses or partners and 10 children of such students) to whom services 11 were offered as a result of the award, including 12 students that are women and belong to minority 13 groups; 14 ‘‘(D) the number of student veterans (and 15 spouses or partners and children of such stu- 16 dents) to whom services were offered as a result 17 of the award, and a description of the services 18 that were offered and provided; and 19 ‘‘(E) data enumerating whether the use of 20 the amounts awarded helped student veterans 21 at the institution or consortium toward comple- 22 tion of a degree, certificate, or credential; 23 ‘‘(4) best practices for student veteran success, 24 identified by reviewing data provided by institutions 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3586 IH and consortia that received a grant under this sec- 1 tion; and 2 ‘‘(5) a determination by the Secretary with re- 3 spect to whether the grant program under this sec- 4 tion should be extended or expanded. 5 ‘‘(f) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEST PRACTICES 6 WEBSITE.—Subject to the availability of appropriations 7 under subsection (h) and not later than 3 years after the 8 date on which the first grant is awarded under subsection 9 (a), the Secretary shall develop and implement a website 10 for Student Veteran Centers at institutions of higher edu- 11 cation, which details best practices for serving student vet- 12 erans at institutions of higher education. 13 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 14 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 15 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 16 meaning given the term in section 101. 17 ‘‘(2) STUDENT VETERAN CENTER.—The term 18 ‘Student Veteran Center’ means a dedicated space 19 on a campus of an institution of higher education 20 that provides students who are veterans, members of 21 the Armed Forces serving on active duty, or mem- 22 bers of a reserve component of the Armed Forces 23 with the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3586.IH H3586 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3586 IH ‘‘(A) A lounge or meeting space for such 1 student veterans (and the spouses or partners 2 and children of such students), and veterans in 3 the community. 4 ‘‘(B) A centralized office for student vet- 5 eran services that— 6 ‘‘(i) is a single point of contact to co- 7 ordinate comprehensive support services 8 for student veterans; 9 ‘‘(ii) is staffed by trained employees 10 and volunteers, which includes veterans 11 and at least one full-time employee or vol- 12 unteer who is trained as a veterans’ bene- 13 fits counselor; 14 ‘‘(iii) provides student veterans with 15 assistance relating to— 16 ‘‘(I) transitioning from the mili- 17 tary to student life; 18 ‘‘(II) transitioning from the mili- 19 tary to the civilian workforce; 20 ‘‘(III) networking with other stu- 21 dent veterans and veterans in the 22 community; 23 ‘‘(IV) understanding and [Text truncated for display. 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