II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2345 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the use of Post-9/ 

11 Educational Assistance to pay for preparatory courses for professional 

licenses and certifications, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2019 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself and Mr. ROUNDS) introduced the following bill; which 

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

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the 

use of Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to pay for preparatory courses for professional licenses and certifications, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘GI Bill Access to Ca5 reer Credentials Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN PREPARATORY COURSES 

2 AS PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION FOR PUR3 POSES OF POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSIST4 ANCE. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 33 of title 38, United 

6 States Code, is amended by adding the following new sec7 tion: 

8 ‘‘§ 3315B. Preparatory courses for licensure, certifi9 cation, or national tests 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An individual entitled to edu11 cational assistance under this chapter shall also be entitled 

12 to payment for a preparatory course for a licensing or cer13 tification test that is required or used to enter into, main14 tain, or advance in employment in a predetermined and 

15 identified vocation or profession. 

16 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT.—The amount of educational assist17 ance payable under this chapter for a course described in 

18 subsection (a) is the lesser of— 

19 ‘‘(1) the fee charged for the course; or 

20 ‘‘(2) the amount of entitlement available to the 

21 individual under this chapter at the time of payment 

22 for the course under this section. 

23 ‘‘(c) CHARGE AGAINST ENTITLEMENT.—The number 

24 of months of entitlement charged an individual under this 

25 chapter for a course described in subsection (a) shall be 


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1 pro-rated based on the actual amount of the fee charged 

2 for the course relative to the rate for one month payable— 

3 ‘‘(1) for the academic year beginning on August 

4 1, 2011, $1,460; or 

5 ‘‘(2) for an academic year beginning on any 

6 subsequent August 1, the amount for the previous 

7 academic year beginning on August 1 under this 

8 subsection, as increased by the percentage increase 

9 equal to the most recent percentage increase deter10 mined under section 3015(h) of this title.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 3532(g) 

12 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or a pre14 paratory course described in section 3315B(a) of 

15 this title’’ after ‘‘or national test providing an oppor16 tunity for course credit at institutions of higher 

17 learning described in section 3501(a)(5) of this 

18 title’’; and 

19 (2) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by inserting ‘‘or 

20 preparatory course’’ after ‘‘test’’ everywhere it ap21 pears. 

22 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

23 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to months begin24 ning after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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