Protect the GI Bill Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Protect the GI Bill Act
This bill makes various updates to the administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) educational assistance programs.
(Sec. 2) First, the bill specifies that educational assistance is payable for programs of education leading to a degree that is pursued on active duty if the active duty is for a period of more than 30 days.
(Sec. 3) The VA shall require each educational institution to submit monthly verification of each individual who is enrolled in a course or program of education and receiving educational assistance. Individuals must also submit a monthly verification of enrollment. If an individual fails to verify for two consecutive months, the VA may not make a monthly stipend payment until the individual submits such verification.
(Sec. 4) The bill expands the list of dependents that qualify as eligible dependents for purposes of transfer of education benefits under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program. Under the bill, an individual may transfer an entitlement to educational assistance to an eligible dependent or combination of eligible dependents.
(Sec. 5) The bill also expands the reasons for which a course of education may be disapproved in relation to VA education benefits. Specifically, a program offered by an educational institution that is at risk of losing accreditation shall not be deemed approved.
(Sec. 6) The bill requires the VA to notify a state approving agency when certain actions or events take place, such as final punitive action being taken against an educational institution. Additionally, the state approving agency must provide notice to the VA and other state approving agencies if it disapproves or suspends an educational institution.
(Sec. 7) In order to approve an accredited program, the VA (or state approving agency) must find the educational institution is approved and participates in a federal student financial aid program (or has had such requirement waived).
(Sec. 8) The bill requires certain non-accredited law programs to be accredited by a specialized accrediting agency in order to be approved for the administration of educational benefits.
The summary continues for 9 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House" stage on November 12, 2019. 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 November 13, 2019: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 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 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 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?
Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced it on October 8, 2019, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
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 October 8, 2019, 2529 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2493 days ago, on November 13, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 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