Veteran Education Empowerment Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1652 To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Veteran Student Centers. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 8, 2019 Ms. FRANKEL (for herself 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 Veteran Student 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 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 1652 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 veteran students 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 veteran students 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 veteran stu- 15 dents to be mentored by ‘‘another veteran who un- 16 derstands their mindset and experience’’. 17 (5) Veteran Student 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 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 1652 IH serve veterans on campus’’ and a ‘‘critical’’ compo- 1 nent of many colleges’ efforts to serve their veteran 2 students. 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 Veteran Student 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 Veteran Student Centers 22 and staff have generated improved recruitment, re- 23 tention, and graduation rates, have helped veteran 24 students feel better connected across campus, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 1652 IH have directly contributed to veteran students’ suc- 1 cessful academic outcomes. 2 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND 3 IMPROVE VETERAN STUDENT 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 VETERAN STUDENT 7 CENTERS 8 ‘‘SEC. 873. GRANTS FOR VETERAN STUDENT 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 Veteran Student 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 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 1652 IH ‘‘(A) The institution or consortium enrolls 1 in undergraduate or graduate courses— 2 ‘‘(i) a significant number of veteran 3 students, 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 vet- 7 eran students, 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 veteran students, 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 veteran students, 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 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 1652 IH ‘‘(B) The institution or consortium pre- 1 sents a sustainability plan to demonstrate that 2 the Veteran Student 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 priority consideration to institutions or con- 8 sortia that meet one or more of the following cri- 9 teria: 10 ‘‘(A) The institution or consortium is lo- 11 cated in a region or community that has a sig- 12 nificant population of veterans. 13 ‘‘(B) The institution or consortium carries 14 out programs or activities that assist veterans 15 in the local community, and the spouses or 16 partners and children of veteran students. 17 ‘‘(C) The institution or consortium part- 18 ners in its veteran-specific programming with 19 nonprofit veteran service organizations, local 20 workforce development organizations, or other 21 institutions of higher education. 22 ‘‘(D) The institution or consortium com- 23 mits to hiring a staff at the Veteran Student 24 Center that includes veterans (including veteran 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 1652 IH student volunteers and veteran students partici- 1 pating in a Federal work-study program under 2 part C of title IV, a work-study program ad- 3 ministered by the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, 4 or a State work-study program). 5 ‘‘(E) The institution or consortium com- 6 mits to using a portion of the grant received 7 under this section to develop or maintain a vet- 8 eran student retention program carried out by 9 the Veteran Student Center. 10 ‘‘(F) The institution or consortium com- 11 mits to providing mental health counseling to 12 its veteran students (and the spouses or part- 13 ners and children of such students). 14 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An institution or consor- 16 tium that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) 17 shall use such grant to establish, maintain, improve, 18 or operate a Veteran Student Center. 19 ‘‘(2) OTHER ALLOWABLE USES.—An institution 20 or consortium receiving a grant under subsection (a) 21 may use a portion of such grant to carry out sup- 22 portive instruction services for veteran students, in- 23 cluding— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 1652 IH ‘‘(A) assistance with special admissions 1 and transfer of credit from previous postsec- 2 ondary education or experience; and 3 ‘‘(B) any other support services the insti- 4 tution or consortium determines to be necessary 5 to ensure the success of veteran students in 6 achieving education and career goals. 7 ‘‘(d) AMOUNTS AWARDED.— 8 ‘‘(1) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 9 subsection (a) shall be for a 4-year period. 10 ‘‘(2) TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANT AND SCHED- 11 ULE.—Each grant awarded under subsection (a) 12 may not exceed a total of $500,000. The Secretary 13 shall disburse to an institution or consortium the 14 amount awarded under the grant in such amounts 15 and at such times during the grant period as the 16 Secretary determines appropriate. 17 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—From the amounts appropriated to 18 carry out this section, and not later than 3 years after 19 the date on which the first grant is awarded under sub- 20 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re- 21 port on the grant program established under subsection 22 (a), including— 23 ‘‘(1) the number of grants awarded; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 1652 IH ‘‘(2) the institutions of higher education and 1 consortia that have received grants; 2 ‘‘(3) with respect to each such institution of 3 higher education and consortium— 4 ‘‘(A) the amounts awarded; 5 ‘‘(B) how such institution or consortium 6 used such amounts; 7 ‘‘(C) a description of the demographics of 8 veteran students (and spouses or partners and 9 children of such students) to whom services 10 were offered as a result of the award; 11 ‘‘(D) the number of veteran students (and 12 spouses or partners and children of such stu- 13 dents) to whom services were offered as a result 14 of the award, and a description of the services 15 that were offered and provided; and 16 ‘‘(E) data enumerating whether the use of 17 the amounts awarded helped veteran students 18 at the institution or consortium toward comple- 19 tion of a degree, certificate, or credential; 20 ‘‘(4) best practices for veteran student success, 21 identified by reviewing data provided by institutions 22 and consortia that received a grant under this sec- 23 tion; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 1652 IH ‘‘(5) a determination by the Secretary with re- 1 spect to whether the grant program under this sec- 2 tion should be extended or expanded. 3 ‘‘(f) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEST PRACTICES 4 WEBSITE.—Subject to the availability of appropriations 5 under subsection (h) and not later than 3 years after the 6 date on which the first grant is awarded under subsection 7 (a), the Secretary shall develop and implement a website 8 for Veteran Student Centers at institutions of higher edu- 9 cation, which details best practices for serving veteran stu- 10 dents at institutions of higher education. 11 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 12 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 13 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 14 meaning given the term in section 101. 15 ‘‘(2) VETERAN STUDENT CENTER.—The term 16 ‘Veteran Student Center’ means a dedicated space 17 on a campus of an institution of higher education 18 that provides students who are veterans, members of 19 the Armed Forces serving on active duty, or mem- 20 bers of a reserve component of the Armed Forces 21 with the following: 22 ‘‘(A) A lounge or meeting space for such 23 veteran students (and the spouses or partners 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 1652 IH and children of such students), and veterans in 1 the community. 2 ‘‘(B) A centralized office for veteran stu- 3 dent services that— 4 ‘‘(i) is a single point of contact to co- 5 ordinate comprehensive support services 6 for veteran students; 7 ‘‘(ii) is staffed by trained employees 8 and volunteers, which includes veterans 9 and at least one full-time employee or vol- 10 unteer who is trained as a veterans’ bene- 11 fits counselor; 12 ‘‘(iii) provides veteran students with 13 assistance relating to— 14 ‘‘(I) transitioning from the mili- 15 tary to student life; 16 ‘‘(II) transitioning from the mili- 17 tary to the civilian workforce; 18 ‘‘(III) networking with other vet- 19 eran students and veterans in the 20 community; 21 ‘‘(IV) understanding and obtain- 22 ing benefits provided by the institu- 23 tion of higher education, Federal Gov- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1652.IH H1652 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 1652 IH ernment, and State for which such 1 students may be eligible; 2 ‘‘(V) understanding how to suc- 3 ceed in the institution of higher edu- 4 cation, including by understanding 5 academic policies, the course selection 6 process, and institutional policies and 7 practices related to the transfer of 8 academic credits; and 9 ‘‘(VI) understanding disability-re- 10 lated rights and protections under the 11 Americans with Disabilities Act of 12 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and 13 section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 14 of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794); and 15 ‘‘(iv) provides comprehensive academic 16 and tutoring services for veteran students, 17 including peer-to-peer tutoring and aca- 18 demic mentorship. 19 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 20 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 21 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020 and 22 each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 Mar 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 [Text truncated for display. 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