Veterans Fellowship Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2167) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for extensions of the time limitations for use of entitlement under Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance programs by reason of school closures due to emergency and other situations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2167, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on H.R. 2167, as amended, the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline, or GI Bill NEED Act, introduced by Congresswoman Sherrill.

The COVID-19 pandemic didn't only impact veterans' health, but it also put a serious strain on veterans' access to educational benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limit on VA authority to extend the time for use of its educational assistance program benefits amid an emergency.

Representative Sherrill's bill fixes these limits during times of emergency for Montgomery GI bill users and those participating in the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes VA to pause the clock as needed when an institution must close temporarily, or permanently, due to an emergency, or when a student is prevented from continuing his or her program for other reasons. This was an authority VA lacked during COVID-19, and if not for the quick action by Congress, thousands of veterans would have seen their benefits wasted.

Now it is time to take the lessons from the pandemic and fix this problem once and for all. Not only that, but H.R. 2167, as amended, includes additional improvements to VA education programs used by veterans and their families. This legislation would require that VA ensure the modern information technology (IT) service can process claims faster and more efficiently through improved processing integration and accuracy, data exchange and reporting, customer integration, and simplification of the online experience.

The legislation would also expand in-State tuition rates at public universities to participants in the Dependents' Educational Assistance program.

Guaranteeing in-State tuition for those survivors using Dependents Education Assistance, otherwise known as DEA, under Chapter 35, is a low-cost lift that will drastically improve educational options for surviving families and reduce their need for student loans.

I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline, or GI Bill NEED Act.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2167, as amended, as sponsored by Congresswoman Sherrill of New Jersey.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2167, as amended, the GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadlines--or NEED--Act.

This bill would extend time limitations for the use of entitlement for VA education programs due to an emergency. I am supportive of the underlying bill. I also thank Chairman Takano, Congresswoman Sherrill, for including several Republican provisions in this legislation.

This bill includes the text of two of Congressman Moore's bill, H.R. 2420, the Overseeing the GI Bill Act of 2021; and H.R. 2457, the Colonel John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act.

H.R. 2420 would require VA to submit regular reports to Congress on the progress of the Digital GI Bill program. This is a system that the VA is purchasing to overhaul the antiquated system that processes GI bill claims. The failed implementation of the Forever GI Bill in 2018 led to thousands of veterans waiting weeks for their claims to be processed. This provision would provide the needed oversight to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated.

H.R. 2457 would require institutions of higher learning to provide an in-State tuition to participants in the Survivors' and Dependents' Education Assistance Program. This would bring the benefits in line with other GI Bill programs that require that veterans be provided in- State tuition.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Moore for his hard work on both of these bills. H.R. 2167, as amended, also includes texts from Congresswoman Mace's bill, H.R. 2327. Congresswoman Mace's provisions would ensure that benefits through the Dependents' Education Assistance GI Bill program will never expire for eligible students. This would bring this program in line with the way the post-9/11 GI bill benefits work for most other veterans. I commend Congresswoman Mace for her hard work on this bill to expand benefits to dependents and survivors.

Finally, this bill also includes the text of Congressman Cawthorn's bill, H.R. 2391, the Veterans Fellowship Act. This bill would direct the Department of Labor to carry out a pilot program to help veterans find meaningful employment through short-term fellowships. The DOL would provide a stipend for the veterans to participate in the pilot program.

Madam Speaker, I thank all of these Members for their hard work drafting these important pieces of legislation. I am pleased to support the bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Ranking Member Bost and Chair Takano, for their leadership, and I thank Representative Bost for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my bipartisan GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline Act, which I was proud to introduce with a fellow veteran, Congresswoman Sherrill.

Our legislation would protect veterans' educational benefits from expiring due to institutional closures or other factors caused by the COVID-19 national emergency.

This important legislation will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to pause the time limit currently placed on the use of GI bill benefits and to permit them to restart the clock after it is safe for veterans to return to school.

I am pleased to see that our legislation was amended in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to include my Veterans Readiness and Employment National Emergency Extended Deadline Act, which I was also proud to introduce with Congresswoman Sherrill.

The VR&E NEED Act would ensure disabled veterans get the support they need to enter the civilian workforce through the VA's VR&E program. Our legislation will allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pause the 12-year time limit to use VR&E benefits during national emergencies and other crises when eligible, disabled veterans are prevented from leveraging those benefits through no fault of their own.

The VR&E program is an excellent path for our veterans to receive the education and training they need to reenter the workforce. By pausing the timer on their benefits when programs are closed, we preserve the opportunities veterans have earned through their service to our country. Our disabled veterans sacrificed greatly in service to our country, so now it is our turn to serve them.

It is critical these benefits are not reduced due to no fault of the individual veteran. Over the past year, we have seen the COVID-19 public health emergency force universities and colleges across the country to temporarily close their doors. As a 24-year Army veteran, I know how important being able to use GI benefits is to ensure that our veterans can find meaningful employment. In fact, I used the GI bill benefit throughout medical school.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sherrill for her partnership on both of these commonsense bills to help our veterans to access the benefits they have earned.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the bipartisan GI NEED Act.

Madam Speaker, today I rise and I am proud that two of my bills, the Colonel John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act, and the Overseeing the GI Act of 2021, were included in the GI bill.

Members of our military and their families have sacrificed so much in their service to our country. As a grateful Nation, we have a responsibility to take care of our heroes and their families. My bill, the Colonel John McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act, secures in- State tuition benefits for the survivors and dependents for eligible veterans under the Dependent Educational Assistance program.

This bill is named after the U.S. Army Colonel John McHugh, who was tragically killed in 2010 in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb. His family currently resides in my district. Like many Americans, Colonel McHugh dreamed of building a bigger and better life for his family, and we owe it to them, and the millions of families like the McHughs, to help them realize this dream.

The second bill, the Overseeing the GI Bill Act of 2021, provides much-needed oversight for the VA's digital GI Bill project by requiring the VA to submit a series of base-level reports to ensure the VA is on track.

These reports will provide Congress with the critical information needed to perform proper oversight over these IT upgrades and ensure that they are using taxpayer dollars efficiently and effectively. These bipartisan developments bring us closer to securing long overdue support for our veterans and their families, and I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for lending their support to take care of our veterans and their families.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate and thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for their leadership.

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