Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3981, the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act of 2023.

Members of the armed forces are important to our nation, and we show them our appreciation by taking care of them after they have completed their service by legislation such as H.R. 3981.

Many of our nation's veterans have earned federal support to help pay for college, graduate school, and training programs through their GI Bill education benefits.

They can even transfer unused benefits to family members and do so in many cases.

Unfortunately, some predatory programs have exploited veterans by aggressively attracting them and their GI beneits to fraudulent, falsified, or substandard programs.

The comprehensive Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act would seek to rein in these abuses by increasing the Department of Veterans Affairs oversight capacity.

Additionally, it would look to restore benefits to defrauded veterans, and improve oversight, faster accountability, and most of all, help our veterans access the quality education they have earned.

Similarly, H.R. 3981 would require educational institutions that offer certain courses to people who are eligible for educational bene6ts administered by the VA.

Reportable events would include punitive actions by state or federal agencies, heightened monitoring of federal student aid, and the potential loss of accreditation.

Institutions that fail to report those events would become ineligible to receive benefit payments from the VA.

Unfortunately, our nation's recognition of those who served in subsequent conflicts has been less than adequate.

We have, in recent decades, too often failed to overcome our political differences to recognize the truly remarkable achievements of our courageous veterans.

We must be united in seeing that every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine in welcoming them back with all the care and compassion this grateful nation can bestow.

Our nation has a proud legacy of appreciation and commitment to the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country.

Veterans continue to have many unanswered needs, and I will continue to fight for the rights of our most patriotic Americans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3981, the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act. I am proud to sponsor this legislation, which builds

on Ranking Member Levin's comprehensive bill, the Isakson-Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.

My hometown and district in Louisville, Kentucky, is home to nearly 50,000 veterans. Veterans in Louisville and across our country deserve as much support from the government when they come out of Active Duty as when they go in. Today, we have an opportunity to show our vets that we are listening to their concerns and that we are going to do something about it.

H.R. 3981 will help the VA deliver on the promises it makes to servicemembers when they join the military. It improves oversight of and fosters accountability at institutions that receive GI Bill funding, ensuring that the men and women who put on the uniform of our country aren't defrauded by dishonest institutions that fail to set our veterans up for success.

H.R. 3981 is a commonsense, bipartisan bill which came out of our committee on a bipartisan basis. It will ensure our veterans and their benefits are supported and protected. We have a sacred responsibility to look after all Americans, especially those who have sacrificed for our country. Any veteran who wants to get an education, an education they have earned, should be able to do so without fear of being defrauded, losing their benefits, or being left behind.

Every man and woman who puts on a uniform is willing to risk everything to keep us safe. The least we can do is protect them when they get home. Veterans earn their GI Bill education benefits, and no veteran should lose that benefit to bad actors or fraudulent institutions. Not a single one.

I thank Chairman Bost, Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Members Takano and Levin, and all of those involved, for their support of this bill. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 3981.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 3981, as amended, the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act.

Madam Speaker, before I came to Congress, I was a teacher. When I was entrusted with the gavel as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee in 2019, one of my primary focuses was helping student veterans. Now, I serve as ranking member. However, I am incredibly proud of what our committee did during our 4 years in the majority.

In 2021, we passed a significant student-veteran focused law: Representative Mike Levin's Isakson-Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act, named for former House and Senate chairmen Phil Roe and Johnny Isakson. That law was a massive leap forward in education quality and oversight for student veterans.

Representative McGarvey's legislation, H.R. 3981, builds upon the Isakson-Roe Act and further improves the system of oversight we established in the 2021 law. Now, schools will join the process of reporting violations, no longer waiting for State approving agencies or VA to uncover errors before it is too late.

The legislation before us also improves transparency for the risk- based surveys created by Isakson-Roe. VA started conducting these surveys in late 2022, but schools need to know how these surveys work so they can better deliver for our student veterans. The legislation improves schools' access to the risk-based survey database.

Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 3981, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey), my good friend, who is a member of our Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and also the sponsor of H.R. 3981.

Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3981, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3981) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the methods by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs conducts oversight of certain educational institutions, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3981, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3981, as amended. This bill makes improvements to protect veterans while they are using their GI Bill.

Specifically, this bill would require schools to self-report adverse actions to their State approving agency in addition to the VA within 30 days.

State approving agencies are required to approve and review schools and training programs for the GI Bill. This bill would also require VA to create a risk-based survey database within 180 days.

Congress has been waiting for the VA to implement this database for a long time. This proposal would make it clear to the VA that Congress still intends for this database to be implemented.

I appreciate the bipartisan work that has been done at the committee level to ensure that this bill supports veterans while also not increasing government spending.

I thank Mr. McGarvey for his work in introducing this proposal, and I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3981, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I encourage the Members on our side the aisle and all of our colleagues to support this good piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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