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Category: Veterans

Congress: Issues to Watch this Week

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The House is back in session this week after a weeklong recess period. They will be in session for two weeks before taking another break during the first week in June. The Senate is in this week, but will recess during the week of Memorial Day.

Appropriations:  Appropriators appear to be adhering to their plans to move annual spending bills earlier than normal this year. Several of those measures are advancing this week – in both chambers. On Tuesday in the Senate, subcommittees will consider their Military Construction-VA and Agriculture spending bills with the hopes of moving them to full committee by the end of the week. Both bills have a history of bipartisan support and will be among the first the Senate considers on the floor in late June or early July. Meanwhile, the House will advance their Commerce-Justice-Science bill (HR 4660) for possible floor action by next week. House appropriators also plan to move two domestic spending bills this week: Agriculture and Transportation-HUD.

Sexual Assault Prevention:  Today Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will hold her first of three roundtable discussions about sexual assaults on college campuses. The hearing will focus on federal reporting laws, including the Clery Act, which requires schools to report on a broad array of crimes that occur on and near campuses, and what is known as the SaVE Act, language included in last year’s Violence Against Women Act reauthorization that requires new training, including bystander intervention, for incoming students and new university employees, along with new reporting on stalking and domestic violence.

McCaskill is teaming up with Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) on the effort to combat sexual assault on college campuses, similar to their successful advocacy for a bill to overhaul the way the military deals with sexual assaults. Subsequent roundtables will focus on Title IX protections, and the campus administrative process and criminal justice system.

FIRST Act:  On Wednesday, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will mark up the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology Act of 2014 (HR 4186), which authorizes spending levels and specifies policy objectives in allocating resources for the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Veterans in Higher Education:  On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee holds a full committee hearing to learn about access and supports for veterans in higher education.

House to Hold Hearing on Student Veteran Success

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The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Economic Affairs is holding a hearing this morning called, “Defining and Improving Success for Veterans Students”. The hearing will have two panels, which will be as follows:

Panel 1

  • Mr. Michael Dakduk, Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU)
  • Mr. William Hubbard, Vice President of External Affairs, Student Veterans of America (SVA)
  • Mr. Ricardo D. Torres, President and CEO, The National Student Clearinghouse
  • Mr. Thomas W. Ross, President, The University of North Carolina System, On behalf of: The American Council on Education (ACE)
  • Dr. Melissa Vito, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives and Student Success, The University of Arizona

Panel 2

  • Mr. Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

 

In-State Tuition for Veterans Bill Passes House

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Tonight, the House has considered and passed that would require in-state tuition for certain veterans (Section 4 of HR.357, the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act as amended). The bill was brought up under an expedited process referred to as “Suspension of the Rules.” Bills brought up in this manner are generally bipartisan, non-controversial measures that are expected to pass easily.

In brief, the bill would require all public higher education institutions to charge in-state tuition to a veteran residing in the state of that institution, even if that veteran is officially a resident of another state. This requirement would remain in place for three years after the person is discharged from the military, assuming he or she continues to reside in the state where the institution is located. The in-state tuition policy would apply beginning in July 2016 and would only cover the veteran — not their dependents using GI Bill benefits.  It appears that a consequence of this bill would be that public higher education institutions would no longer qualify for the out-of-state federal benefit of the GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program since the veterans/students involved here would no longer be considered out-of state.

A much broader bill was previously under consideration that would have required lifetime in-state tuition to veterans and their dependents regardless of their actual state residency.

Nearly 30 states have already passed or are considering enacting legislation to provide in-state residency waivers to veterans at their public colleges and universities. Washington state is currently considering similar legislation that would allow instate tuition for one year. Other states, several individual campuses and university systems offer in-state waivers to their veteran student populations.

The measure passed by a vote of 390-0.

The Office of Federal Relations will continue to track this issue and continue to provide updates as the legislation progresses.

This Week in Congress

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An overview of relevant House and Senate committee hearings and markups on the schedule this week:

TUESDAY, June 4th

Senate Appropriations
2014 Appropriations: Transportation, HUD
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 pm, 138 Dirksen

House Science, Space, & Technology
STEM Education Reorganization
Full Committee Hearing
2 pm, 2318 Rayburn

WEDNESDAY, June 5th

Senate Appropriations
2014 Appropriations: Defense
Subcommittee Hearing
10 am, 192 Dirksen

Senate Appropriations
2014 Appropriations: Labor, HHS, Education
Subcommittee Hearing
10 am, 138 Dirksen

Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Veterans Benefits Legislation
Full Committee Hearing
10 am, 418 Russell

House Armed Services
Defense Authorization
Full Committee Markup
10 am, 2118 Rayburn

THURSDAY, June 6th

Senate Appropriations
2014 Appropriations: Commerce, Justice, Science
Subcommittee Hearing
10 am, 192 Dirksen

HRSA Announces Funding to Help Veterans Pursue Nursing

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Accredited nursing schools and health care facilities can apply through June 7 for up to $350,000 a year in funding to increase veterans’ enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, and explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training, the Health Resources and Services administration announced today. The agency expects to award up to nine four-year cooperative agreements. The funding was announced at a White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing.