I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9048 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish an educational assistance 

program to encourage the enlistment of persons in, and retention of 

members of, the District of Columbia National Guard by providing to 

certain such members financial assistance to attend undergraduate, vocational, or technical courses. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 15, 2024 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish an 

educational assistance program to encourage the enlistment of persons in, and retention of members of, the 

District of Columbia National Guard by providing to 

certain such members financial assistance to attend undergraduate, vocational, or technical courses. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Major General David 

5 F. Wherley, Jr., District of Columbia National Guard Re6 tention and College Access Program Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NATIONAL GUARD EDU2 CATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1611 of title 10, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 16402. District of Columbia National Guard edu7 cational assistance program 

8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The commanding general of 

9 the District of Columbia National Guard shall provide fi10 nancial assistance to an eligible member of the District 

11 of Columbia National Guard for expenses incurred by the 

12 member— 

13 ‘‘(1) while enrolled in an approved institution of 

14 higher education; and 

15 ‘‘(2) to pursue the member’s first under16 graduate, masters, doctoral, vocational, or technical 

17 degree or certification. 

18 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—(1) A member of the District of 

19 Columbia National Guard is eligible to receive assistance 

20 under this section if the commanding general of the Dis21 trict of Columbia National Guard determines the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(A) The member has satisfactorily completed 

24 required initial active duty service. 

25 ‘‘(B) The member is not receiving a Reserve 

26 Officer Training Corps scholarship. 


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1 ‘‘(C) The member has entered into a written 

2 agreement to serve as a member of the District of 

3 Columbia National Guard for a period determined 

4 by the commanding general. 

5 ‘‘(2) To maintain eligibility for assistance under this 

6 section, a member of the District of Columbia National 

7 Guard shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) satisfactorily perform duty in the District 

9 of Columbia National Guard; 

10 ‘‘(B) be enrolled on a full-time or part-time 

11 basis (seeking to earn at least three, but fewer than 

12 12 credit hours per semester) in an approved institu13 tion of higher education; and 

14 ‘‘(C) maintain satisfactory progress in the 

15 course of study the member is pursuing, determined 

16 in accordance with section 484(c) of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(c)). 

18 ‘‘(c) ASSISTANCE: AMOUNTS; TREATMENT.—(1) As19 sistance received by a member of the District of Columbia 

20 National Guard under this section may be used for— 

21 ‘‘(A) tuition and fees charged by an approved 

22 institution of higher education involved; 

23 ‘‘(B) the cost of books; and 

24 ‘‘(C) laboratory expenses. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The amount of assistance provided to a member 

2 of the District of Columbia National Guard under this sec3 tion may not exceed the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) For tuition, $10,000 per year. 

5 ‘‘(B) For books, $500 per year. 

6 ‘‘(C) For fees and laboratory expenses, $500 

7 per year. 

8 ‘‘(3) If the commanding general of the District of Co9 lumbia National Guard determines that the amounts avail10 able to provide assistance under this section in any year 

11 will be insufficient, the commanding general may reduce 

12 any maximum amount of the assistance authorized, or set 

13 a limit on the number of participants, to ensure that 

14 amounts expended do not exceed available amounts. 

15 ‘‘(4) Except as provided in subsection (b)(1)(B), a 

16 member of the District of Columbia National Guard may 

17 receive assistance under this section in addition to edu18 cational assistance provided under any other provision of 

19 law. 

20 ‘‘(5) A member of the District of Columbia National 

21 Guard who receives assistance under this section and who 

22 fails to serve for the period specified in an agreement de23 scribed in subsection (b)(1) or fails to comply with the 

24 eligibility conditions specified in subsection (b)(2) shall be 


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1 subject to the repayment provisions of section 373 of title 

2 37. 

3 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATION; FUNDING.—(1) The com4 manding general of the District of Columbia National 

5 Guard, in consultation with approved institutions of high6 er education, shall develop policies and procedures for the 

7 administration of this section. Nothing in this section shall 

8 be construed to require an institution of higher education 

9 to alter any admission policy or standard to enable a mem10 ber of the District of Columbia National Guard to enroll 

11 in such institution. 

12 ‘‘(2)(A) There are authorized to be appropriated such 

13 sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. Funds 

14 so appropriated shall remain available until expended. 

15 ‘‘(B) The commanding general may accept the trans16 fer of funds from a Federal agency and use any funds 

17 so transferred for purposes of providing assistance under 

18 this section. There is authorized to be appropriated to the 

19 head of any executive branch agency such sums as may 

20 be necessary to permit the transfer of funds to the com21 manding general to provide assistance under this section. 

22 ‘‘(C) The commanding general may accept, use, and 

23 dispose of donations of services or property to provide as24 sistance under this section. 

25 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘approved institution of higher 

2 education’ means an institution of higher education 

3 that— 

4 ‘‘(A) is eligible to participate in the stu5 dent financial assistance programs under title 

6 IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); and 

8 ‘‘(B) has entered into an agreement with 

9 the commanding general of the District of Co10 lumbia National Guard containing an assurance 

11 that funds made available under this section are 

12 used to supplement and not supplant other as13 sistance that may be available for a member of 

14 the District of Columbia National Guard. 

15 ‘‘(2) The term ‘institution of higher education’ 

16 has the meaning given such term in section 102 of 

17 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

18 1002).’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

20 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

21 after the item relating to section 16401 the following new 

22 item: 

‘‘16402. District of Columbia National Guard educational assistance program.’’. 

23 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Financial assistance may be 

24 provided under section 16402 of such title, as added by 


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1 subsection (a), for a period of instruction that begins on 

2 or after January 1, 2025. 

Æ 


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