II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1309 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve how the Department 

of Veterans Affairs discloses to individuals entitled to educational assistance from the Department risks associated with using such assistance 

at particular educational institutions and to restore entitlement of students to such assistance who are pursuing programs of education at 

educational institutions that are subject to Federal or State civil enforcement action, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2023 

Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Mr. ROUNDS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve 

how the Department of Veterans Affairs discloses to 

individuals entitled to educational assistance from the 

Department risks associated with using such assistance 

at particular educational institutions and to restore entitlement of students to such assistance who are pursuing 

programs of education at educational institutions that 

are subject to Federal or State civil enforcement action, 

and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Student Veterans 

3 Transparency and Protection Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY 

5 OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR PUR6 POSES OF VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSIST7 ANCE. 

8 (a) REQUIREMENT RELATING TO G.I. BILL COM9 PARISON TOOL.— 

10 (1) REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN TOOL.—The 

11 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall maintain the G.I. 

12 Bill Comparison Tool that was established pursuant 

13 to Executive Order 13607 (77 Fed. Reg. 25861; re14 lating to establishing principles of excellence for edu15 cational institutions serving service members, vet16 erans, spouses, and other family members) and in 

17 effect on the day before the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act, or successor tool, to provide relevant and 

19 timely information about programs of education ap20 proved under chapter 36 of title 38, United States 

21 Code, and the educational institutions that offer 

22 such programs. 

23 (2) DATA RETENTION.—The Secretary shall en24 sure that historical data that is reported via the tool 

25 maintained under paragraph (1) remains easily and 

26 prominently accessible on the benefits.va.gov website, 


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1 or successor website, for a period of not less than 

2 seven years from the date of initial publication. 

3 (b) PROVIDING TIMELY AND RELEVANT EDUCATION

4 INFORMATION TO VETERANS, MEMBERS OF THE ARMED

5 FORCES, AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec8 retary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the 

9 Secretary of Education, shall make such changes to 

10 the tool maintained under subsection (a) as the Sec11 retary determines appropriate to ensure that such 

12 tool is an effective and efficient method for providing 

13 information pursuant to section 3698(b)(5) of title 

14 38, United States Code. 

15 (2) MODIFICATION OF SCOPE OF COMPREHEN16 SIVE POLICY ON PROVIDING EDUCATION INFORMA17 TION.—Section 3698 of title 38, United States Code, 

18 is amended— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘veterans 

20 and members of the Armed Forces’’ and insert21 ing ‘‘individuals entitled to educational assist22 ance under laws administered by the Secretary 

23 of Veterans Affairs’’; and 

24 (B) in subsection (b)(5)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘veterans and members 

2 of the Armed Forces’’ and inserting ‘‘indi3 viduals described in subsection (a)’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘the veteran or mem5 ber’’ and inserting ‘‘the individual’’. 

6 (3) G.I. BILL COMPARISON TOOL REQUIRED

7 DISCLOSURES.—Paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of 

8 such section is amended— 

9 (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and in10 serting the following: 

11 ‘‘(B) for each individual described in sub12 section (a) seeking information provided under 

13 subsection (b)(5) the name of each Federal stu14 dent aid program, and a description of each 

15 such program, from which the individual may 

16 receive educational assistance.’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C)— 

18 (i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘and a 

19 definition of each type of institution;’’ be20 fore the semicolon; 

21 (ii) in clause (iv), by inserting ‘‘and if 

22 so, which programs;’’ before the semicolon; 

23 (iii) by striking clause (v) and insert24 ing the following: 


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1 ‘‘(v) the average annual cost to earn an as2 sociate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree, with 

3 available cost information on any other degree 

4 or credential the institution awards;’’; 

5 (iv) in clause (vi), by inserting before 

6 the semicolon ‘‘disaggregated by— 

7 ‘‘(I) individuals who received a cre8 dential and individuals who did not; and 

9 ‘‘(II) individuals using educational as10 sistance under laws administered by the 

11 Secretary and individuals who are not’’; 

12 (v) in clause (xv), by striking the pe13 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

14 and 

15 (vi) by adding at the end the following 

16 new clauses: 

17 ‘‘(xvi) transfer-out rates; 

18 ‘‘(xvii) credentials available and the aver19 age time for completion of each credential; 

20 ‘‘(xviii) employment rate and median in21 come of graduates of the institution in general, 

22 disaggregated by— 

23 ‘‘(I) specific credential; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) individuals using educational as2 sistance under laws administered by the 

3 Secretary and individuals who are not; 

4 ‘‘(xix) the number of individuals using edu5 cational assistance under laws administered by 

6 the Secretary who are enrolled in the institution 

7 per year; and 

8 ‘‘(xx) a list of each civil settlement or find9 ing resulting from a Federal or State action in 

10 a court of competent jurisdiction against the in11 stitution for violation of a provision of Federal 

12 or State law that materially affects the edu13 cation provided at the institution or is the re14 sult of illicit activity, including deceptive mar15 keting or misinformation provided to prospec16 tive students or current enrollees.’’. 

17 (4) CLARITY OF INFORMATION PROVIDED.— 

18 Paragraph (2) of such subsection is amended— 

19 (A) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ before ‘‘To the ex20 tent’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

22 subparagraph: 

23 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall ensure that information 

24 provided under subsection (b)(5) is provided in a manner 


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1 that is easy and accessible to individuals described in sub2 section (a).’’. 

3 (c) IMPROVEMENTS FOR STUDENT FEEDBACK.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b)(2) of such 

5 section is amended— 

6 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

7 as follows: 

8 ‘‘(A) provides institutions of higher learn9 ing up to 90 days to review and respond to any 

10 feedback and address issues regarding the feed11 back before the feedback is published;’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; 

13 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

14 (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

15 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

16 and 

17 (D) by adding at the end the following new 

18 subparagraphs: 

19 ‘‘(D) for each institution of higher learning 

20 that is approved under this chapter, retains, 

21 maintains, and publishes all of such feedback 

22 for the entire duration that the institution of 

23 higher is approved under this chapter; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) is easily accessible to individuals de2 scribed in subsection (a) and to the general 

3 public.’’. 

4 (2) ACCESSIBILITY FROM G.I. BILL COMPARISON

5 TOOL.—The Secretary shall ensure that— 

6 (A) the feedback tracked and published 

7 under subsection (b)(2) of such section, as 

8 amended by paragraph (1), is prominently dis9 played in the tool maintained under subsection 

10 (a) of this section; and 

11 (B) when such tool displays information 

12 for an institution of higher learning, the appli13 cable feedback is also displayed for such institu14 tion of higher learning. 

15 (d) TRAINING FOR PROVISION OF EDUCATION COUN16 SELING SERVICES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not less than one year after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

19 shall ensure that personnel employed or contracted 

20 by the Department of Veteran Affairs to provide 

21 education benefits counseling, vocational or transi22 tion assistance, or similar functions, including em23 ployees or contractors of the Department who pro24 vide such counseling or assistance as part of the 


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1 Transition Assistance Program, are trained on 

2 how— 

3 (A) to use properly the tool maintained 

4 under subsection (a); and 

5 (B) to provide appropriate educational 

6 counseling services to individuals described in 

7 section 3698(a) of such title, as amended by 

8 subsection (b)(2)(A). 

9 (2) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM DE10 FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘Transition 

11 Assistance Program’’ means the program of coun12 seling, information, and services under section 1142 

13 of title 10, United States Code. 

14 SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO VETERANS 

15 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND OTHER RE16 LIEF FOR VETERANS AFFECTED BY CIVIL EN17 FORCEMENT ACTIONS AGAINST EDU18 CATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3699(b)(1) of title 38, 

20 United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ‘‘; or’’ 

22 and inserting a semicolon; 

23 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

24 and inserting a semicolon; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub2 paragraphs: 

3 ‘‘(D) a Federal or State civil enforcement 

4 action against the education institution; or 

5 ‘‘(E) an action taken by the Secretary; 

6 and’’. 

7 (b) MECHANISM.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

8 shall establish a simple mechanism that can be used by 

9 an individual described in subsection (b)(1) of section 

10 3699 of such title by reason of subparagraph (C) or (D) 

11 of such subsection, as added by subsection (a)(3) of this 

12 section, to obtain relief under section 3699(a) of such title. 

13 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

14 (1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec15 tion 3699 of such title is amended by striking ‘‘or 

16 disapproval of educational institution’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘of, disapproval of, or civil en18 forcement actions against educational in19 stitutions’’. 

20 (2) SUBSECTION HEADING.—The heading for 

21 subsection (a) of such section is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘OR DISAPPROVAL’’ and inserting ‘‘, DISAPPROVAL, 

23 CIVIL ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS, AND OTHER AC24 TIONS BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS’’. 


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1 (3) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

2 at the beginning of chapter 36 of such title is 

3 amended by striking the item relating to section 

4 3699 and inserting the following new item: 

‘‘3699. Effects of closure of, disapproval of, or civil enforcement actions against 

educational institutions.’’. 

Æ 


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