Spouses of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Economic Opportunity.
Spouses of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act - Requires an Armed Forces member's entitlement to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to be transferred to the member's surviving spouse, unless another eligible dependent is designated, upon the death of a member who is entitled to such assistance while serving on active duty.
Limits the maximum amount of assistance transferrable to a spouse under this Act to the amount the deceased member was actually entitled on the date of the member's death.
Directs a surviving spouse who is also entitled to other specified VA educational assistance for survivors and dependents to make an irrevocable election to receive assistance either under this Act or such other provisions. Prohibits a surviving spouse from receiving assistance under both provisions.
Requires this Act to take effect retroactively from August 1, 2009.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 15, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 29, 2011: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Dan Boren (D-OK) introduced it on July 15, 2011, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 15, 2011, 5536 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5522 days ago, on July 29, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers