GI Bill Processing Improvement Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3218) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3218, as amended, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, which I introduced with Ranking Member Walz and every member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 2 weeks ago.

This bill and how it got to this point today is a shining example of how well Congress can and should work together. It is the result of tireless work of many veterans service organizations and the bipartisan efforts of committee members.

I am proud that the improvements and enhancements to the GI Bill that this Chamber will advance today will empower servicemembers, veterans, survivors, and dependents for generations to come.

This is the first major improvement to the GI Bill since 2011, and it encompasses 17 bills introduced by our colleagues, many who serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and also others who share our committee's commitment to the men and women who have raised their right hand side to serve.

This package includes over 30 provisions and brings forward many enhancements that veterans' groups have requested for years. I have said it before and I will say it again, this isn't a package that comes along every day.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3218, as amended, is aptly named after Mr. Harry W. Colmery, who is credited with actually writing by hand the first draft of the World War II-era GI Bill. It is only appropriate that we honor him today for his work on the first GI Bill decades ago.

This package would do a number of things, and I want to focus on just a few key improvements. First, it would eliminate the 15-year time limit to use the GI Bill benefits for future eligible beneficiaries and anyone who left active service on or after January 1, 2013.

Madam Speaker, the GI Bill, when I used it for 2 years after I got out of the military, was, at 10 years, you could no longer use it. This is a lifetime commitment to the American people, to our veterans, if they can exercise their GI Bill benefit at any time.

Let me repeat that. For the first time in the history of our GI Bill, future beneficiaries and some veterans will be able to carry these benefits with them throughout their life.

Secondly, the bill would provide significant increases in GI Bill funding for

reservists and guardsmen, including those who are currently serving on orders but do not accrue GI Bill eligibility, as well as dependents, surviving spouses, and surviving dependents.

It would also provide 100 percent GI eligibility for post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients.

Finally, it would increase opportunities for veterans to complete a science, technology, engineering, math degree, or other high technology program. That particular issue is one that I know Leader McCarthy has advocated for. It is a privilege to have him as an original cosponsor of the bill, and we thank him for his leadership in getting the bill to the House floor promptly.

The provisions I just mentioned only scratch the surface of the benefits that our veterans and survivors will receive under this bill.

The amendment to this bill before the House today provides technical and conforming changes to ensure the bill is budget-neutral over the 10-year budget window, clarifies that students impacted by the closure of ITT Tech would be able to have their GI Bill eligibility restored if they are unable to transfer their credits, and, starting in fiscal year 2022, would provide eligibility for a Yellow Ribbon Program to Active Duty servicemembers.

Madam Speaker, we owe a debt of gratitude to all the VSOs who pushed for this package. And I would be remiss if I didn't single out and give my sincere thanks to the Student Veterans of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and Got Your Six for working tirelessly across the Hill over several months to help us make this happen.

I commend and thank them because, without a doubt, we would not be in this Chamber today on the verge of this historic moment without their efforts.

Finally, I thank Ranking Member Walz for his strong leadership and support in making this package come together. I also express my appreciation to Senators Isakson and Tester for their efforts in negotiating a strong package we can all agree on. I know they are planning to hold a markup on this companion bill to H.R. 3218, as amended, this week, and I would expect that they can pick up and pass this bill and get it to President Trump's desk before the August District Work Period.

Madam Speaker, this is a strong bill that would help thousands of student veterans for the rest of their lives. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Committee on Armed Services,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, July 20, 2017.

Hon. David P. Roe, M.D.,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R.

3218, the ``Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance

Act of 2017.'' There are certain provisions in the bill which

fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed

Services.

In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed

expeditiously to floor consideration of this important

legislation, I am willing to waive this committee's further

consideration of H.R. 3218. I do so with the understanding

that by waiving consideration of the bill, the Committee on

Armed Services does not waive any fixture jurisdictional

claim over the subject matters contained in the legislation

which fall within its Rule X jurisdiction.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the committee

report on H.R. 3218 and into the Congressional Record during

consideration of the measure on the House floor. The

committee also reserves the right to seek appointment to any

House-Senate conference on this legislation and requests your

support if such a request is made. Thank you for the

cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this

matter and others between our respective committees.

Sincerely,

William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry,

Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I think one of the greatest things in here is the lifetime benefit. When I was in my early twenties, I wouldn't have put a big bet on being 40 years old. So I know you don't ever think you are going to get there, but you do. With the changing workforce today, it is a huge benefit that I think that veterans going forward are going to appreciate and the country will benefit from.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), my good friend.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), my distinguished colleague, a senior member and vice chair of the committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), an active member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer), my good friend. We have served on the Education and the Workforce Committee together since he has been here, and he is in his fourth term.

Madam Speaker, it sounds like the gentleman who spent 2 years and didn't have anything to show for it was in the U.S. Congress, but that is another story altogether.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks), my good friend, whom I served with on the Education and the Workforce Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This was a process, and it took several months working with the VSOs, with our staffs, with Mr. Walz's team and our team and others to get this bill where it is. And I think, as Mr. Walz said, that as people dig into this bill, it is truly, I believe, an outstanding piece of legislation that honors the people who serve this country and will give them a benefit when they come home.

If you are 25 years old and you come home and you have a job from the military, you separate after a few years of service, and your job leaves when you are 42, you have lost that benefit now.

Now, you can go back and get retrained. We know that the average person is going to have five, six, seven different occupations during a professional working career. This will allow our veterans, I think some of the absolute finest people that grace this Nation, to be able to be the ones who are the leaders in the future because of the education benefit that they have earned with their service.

I thank my friend, Mr. Walz, for his work on this and leadership on this, along with his team and our team here.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in unwavering support of H.R. 3218.

It is interesting, we may prove a couple of things. One is that the universe needs to be balanced, or God has an incredible sense of irony, or our democracy is resilient and strong because, after our debate over the last piece of legislation, I can tell you that, in the time I have had the privilege of representing the people of southern Minnesota, I am not sure there is a day that I feel more of that sense of pride and honor than to be here today. Much of that thanks goes to a humble man who won't say so himself.

The Colmery GI Bill, in any years past, and maybe with a different chairman, would have been the Roe GI Bill, as the Sonny Montgomery GI Bill; but the chairman is a man of humbleness and passing on thanks to others, and it shows in giving the credit to so many Members who wrote and were part of this legislation.

This is a real historic piece of work. It is hard to get big pieces of legislation like this done. I saw somebody had written up recently and said: Well, the VA Committee is moving a lot of things because it is easy.

I think, after that last little debate and how this one has gone, there is nothing easy about it because it is not supposed to be easy. It is supposed to be a challenge building the coalitions necessary. It is supposed to be thoughtful because we are impacting generations going forward.

There are so many people to thank, and the chairman started hitting on them; but I want to again as someone who, if not for the GI Bill, would not have received my education, and our lives and the trajectory of our lives are changed dramatically for that.

Somebody stood in these chairs years ago and thought about putting a GI Bill in place that ended up benefiting me; and the idea of being able to pay it forward from one veteran to another, or from this House to another, is something that seems like it is lacking too much around here.

When we get together, there is much we can do for this country. The improvements in the bill are wide-ranging. I just want to mention a couple because I think they need to be said and I think veterans are paying attention, Madam Speaker, and maybe some of the folks watching this.

I am happy to say we are able to remove the 15-year expiration date. The idea of a lifetime GI Bill just goes to the reality of modern-day warriors; many of them serving at different times, serving later in life, not going right away when they get out, or even changing professions; and having that benefit there and holding it and enhancing their education is not only benefiting their lives, it benefits our economy.

We know that when these wars started we had very high veteran unemployment rates. We are trying to figure out different ways. And as the chairman pointed out, using the GI Bill for STEM research and other ways to get a skill set is just smart legislation.

I want to thank a few folks on the other side about understanding that we have one force now. We do not have an active Army and a Guard and Reserve that are two separate things. These warriors fight side by side, and their call up, when they get called up, means the same thing.

Because of the way regulation was written, there were things in here that created an inequality among them. And we were happy to have a general with us in General Bergman, Representatives O'Rourke, Banks, and Radewagen, along with someone who

is not a member of this committee but is a co-chair on the Guard and Reserve Caucus. Mr. Palazzo worked to make sure that we offset those things to make sure our Guard and reservists receive those same benefits from when they were deployed.

So this is a rare opportunity, Madam Speaker, to pass a significant piece of legislation that is fully paid for, compromised to in a bipartisan manner. The Senate is going to pick this up, I think. And I look forward to that day when President Trump, hopefully here towards the end of summer or early fall, picks that pen up and signs this and makes a difference in veterans' lives today and going forward.

So my thanks once again to the chairman and his leadership for bringing together and building this coalition that made something that many of us thought about for many years; we would like to have seen got done. It is going to get done today.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty), my good friend and a stalwart supporter of veterans, the ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the vice ranking member of the full Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan), my good friend, a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and the voice of our Pacific Island veterans.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), a true supporter of veterans and new Member of the House who came with a passion for veterans.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have left.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Once again, you heard from members of the committee, and Members of this House about an important piece of legislation.

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet with my hometown Guard unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 135th Infantry, the Red Bull Battalion. They came back from a mission in the Sinai.

When they left to go to the Sinai, because of the 12304(b) orders that were in there, they were not eligible for certain benefits. The entire time they were deployed, they continued to call and asked what was happening on the bill. On Saturday, they had just returned, and I was able to tell them that we were going to vote tonight, we were going to move this thing, and that their questions had been responded to.

So, retroactively, we were able to get this back to 2013. There are lots of good things in here that I think, as people spend a little more time on this, they will see, smart stuff.

Generations of veterans have contributed to our country and bettered themselves through the GI Bill. It is one of those things that a grateful nation does, an earned benefit that has been improved with time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3218, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3218, which secures and strengthens the GI Bill for future generations of veterans. It does so without cutting benefits from anyone who is currently serving.

There are several provisions in this legislation worth celebrating. Removing time restrictions for future student veterans and making this a lifetime benefit, and increasing support for reservists, guardsmen, and their families are among the long overdue improvements to the GI Bill that are included in this legislation.

But the restoration of GI Bill benefits for students defrauded by ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges is particularly noteworthy for veterans in my district and across the country. When those two schools abruptly shut their doors, thousands of student veterans were left with nontransferable credits, depleted

benefits, and none of the job opportunities they were promised. By restoring their tuition and housing benefits, we are restoring a measure of justice for these veterans, and we are restoring their opportunity to get the education they deserve.

I hope this is just the start of our efforts to crack down on for- profit colleges that exploit veterans.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz for their leadership, as well as the other members of the committee and the veterans service organizations who contributed to the strength of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, passing H.R. 3218 is an important step toward ensuring that every person who serves this Nation has the opportunity to live a rewarding and purposeful and prosperous civilian life. I encourage all Members to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, before closing, let me just add my praise to the chairman for his generosity and humbleness. I recognize, too, that this bill does not bear his name but the name of a predecessor. That was an incredible gesture, Madam Speaker. I salute the chairman's leadership.

Mr. ROE from Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman), my good friend, a Marine and Army veteran, and senior member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I rise in enthusiastic support of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, or the new GI Bill.

I thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz for leading the charge so that we can bring this important legislation to the House floor today.

I have the great honor of serving on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, a committee on which Democrats and Republicans work together and work closely with our partners, the veterans service organizations.

The GI Bill we bring forward today is no exception. This strong bipartisan legislation represents the biggest expansion of veterans' educational benefits in a decade. It is a huge win for our Nation's veterans.

The men and women of our military deserve the security of knowing that, upon completion of their service to our country, they will be able to embark on a fulfilling career and continue providing for their families.

I want to highlight several of the veterans who represent why we need this bill today. The first is a young man from my hometown of Cheshire. He was a classmate of my middle son in high school, and who, at age 19, lost his left leg and seriously injured his right leg when his unit was hit by an IED in Afghanistan. He had been in the country 3 months. It was the third IED.

He has been awarded a Purple Heart, but this young man and many others would not, under the current GI Bill, be entitled to receive educational benefits. That seems crazy, and it is. But this bill will correct that injustice and ensure that all our Purple Heart heroes, our American heroes are entitled to use those benefits because, regardless of those months, they have served this country.

The second one I think of is a 90-plus-year-old, who doesn't like to disclose his age, a Navy veteran from New Britain, Connecticut. He has just earned his second master's degree. That is the point of the lifelong benefits. We need educational benefits for life.

Again, this bill corrects the injustice for Guard and reservists, lifelong benefits. It is a win for America. The military is changing. The GI Bill needs to change with it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 3218, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act. This bipartisan package will extend and ultimately improve our veterans' access to GI Bill benefits.

And while I wasn't prepared to speak to this, since my colleague from Indiana, Mr. Messer, just spoke, I also rise in support of the Takano- Messer amendment to support those veterans who are not receiving credits now from their time at ITT Tech. So I do support that amendment as well.

But I am proud to be a part of this bill that Chairman Roe has so ably shepherded, and I appreciate the bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle for including the Veterans TEST Accessibility Act. This act does just what the title implies: it gives our veterans simpler, fairer access to tests like the SAT and GRE, as well as licensing and certification tests, like certifications to be mechanics, firefighters, Realtors, to name just a few.

Our current law requires veterans to use a full month of eligibility to be reimbursed for these tests. Given the relatively low cost of many tests, it simply isn't worth it for many veterans to lose potential reimbursement for an entire month of other educational expenses, like tuition. This provision fixes that problem. Veterans will be reimbursed for the amount of the test only, and they can still utilize the remaining eligibility to cover other educational expenses incurred that month.

Our vets have the skills and experience that many universities and employers are looking for, but they face challenges. This commonsense provision will give our veterans the tools they need to compete in the job market and help address veteran underemployment and unemployment. It allows them to take what they have learned, so many skills that they learned prior to and during their service, and use these benefits they have earned to advance their education and career.

I would like to thank Chairman Roe for his leadership, the VSOs, and all of our colleagues who have contributed to this important piece of legislation, and I urge passage of the bill.