HR 6358
Veteran Education Empowerment Act
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Bill overview
The Veteran Education Empowerment Act reauthorizes and improves a grant program designed to help colleges and universities establish, maintain, and enhance Student Veteran Centers. These centers provide support services to student veterans, who face unique challenges transitioning to college and the workforce. The bill aims to increase access to these resources and ensure equitable distribution of funding to institutions across the country.
Key provisions
- Authorizes grants to institutions of higher education and consortia to create, maintain, and improve Student Veteran Centers.
- Establishes criteria for grant recipients, including a significant number of student veterans, a sustainability plan, and location in a veteran-rich area.
- Prioritizes institutions that partner with veteran service organizations and offer comprehensive support services.
- Requires grant recipients to hire veteran staff and provide a dedicated orientation for student veterans.
- Mandates the development of a student veteran retention program.
- Includes provisions for mental health counseling services for student veterans.
- Sets a grant duration of 4 years and a maximum grant amount of $500,000.
- Requires the Department of Education to create a website with best practices for serving student veterans.
Who is affected
- Student Veterans
- Institutions of Higher Education
- Veterans Service Organizations
- The Department of Education
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 6358
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Student Veteran Centers.
This Act may be cited as the Veteran Education Empowerment Act
.
Congress finds the following:
Almost 1,000,000 veterans attend institutions of higher education each year.
Veterans face unique challenges in transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom and eventually to the workforce, including age differences, family obligations, significant time away from academic life, and service-related disabilities.
Studies have found that student veterans can feel lonely and vulnerable on campus and that connecting student veterans can effectively ease this isolation by bringing together new student veterans with those who have already successfully navigated the first few semesters of college.
Student Veteran Centers are recognized as an institutional best practice by Student Veterans of America.
The Department of Education included as one of its 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success that colleges and universities should coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space for them
.
Budget constraints often make it difficult or impossible for institutions of higher education to dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student centers.
The 110th Congress authorized the funding of Student Veteran Centers through the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success under part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t). Congress has appropriated funding for this program in subsequent years.
Part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t) is amended to read as follows:
Subject to the availability of appropriations under subsection (h), the Secretary shall award grants to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist in the establishment, maintenance, improvement, and operation of Student Veteran Centers.
An institution or consortium seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
The Secretary may award a grant under subsection (a) to an institution or a consortium if the institution or consortium meets each of the following criteria:
a significant number of student veterans, members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty, or members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces; or
as measured by comparing, for the most recent academic year for which data are available, the number or percentage of student veterans, members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who are enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses at the institution or consortium, with the average number or percentage of student veterans, members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who were enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses at comparable institutions or consortia of institutions.
The institution or consortium presents a sustainability plan to demonstrate that the Student Veteran Center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant period has ended.
In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide the following:
Priority consideration to institutions or consortia that meet one or more of the following criteria:
The institution or consortium is located in a region or community that has a significant population of veterans.
is separate from the new student orientation provided by the institution or consortium; and
provides student veterans with information on the benefits and resources available to such students at or through the institution or consortium.
An institution or consortium that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) shall use such grant to establish, maintain, improve, or operate a Student Veteran Center.
Each grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be for a 4-year period.
Each grant awarded under subsection (a) may not exceed a total of $500,000. The Secretary shall disburse to an institution or consortium the amount awarded under the grant in such amounts and at such times during the grant period as the Secretary determines appropriate.
From the amounts appropriated to carry out this section, and not later than 3 years after the date on which the first grant is awarded under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the grant program established under subsection (a), including—
the number of grants awarded;
the institutions of higher education and consortia that have received grants;
with respect to each such institution of higher education and consortium—
the amounts awarded;
how such institution or consortium used such amounts;
data enumerating whether the use of the amounts awarded helped student veterans at the institution or consortium toward completion of a degree, certificate, or credential;
best practices for student veteran success, identified by reviewing data provided by institutions and consortia that received a grant under this section; and
a determination by the Secretary with respect to whether the grant program under this section should be extended or expanded.
In this section:
The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101.
A lounge or meeting space for such student veterans (and the spouses or partners and children of such students), and veterans in the community.
A centralized office for student veteran services that—
is a single point of contact to coordinate comprehensive support services for student veterans;
provides student veterans with assistance relating to—
transitioning from the military to student life;
transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce;
networking with other student veterans and veterans in the community;
understanding and obtaining benefits provided by the institution of higher education, Federal Government, and State for which such students may be eligible;
provides comprehensive academic and tutoring services for student veterans, including peer-to-peer tutoring and academic mentorship.