I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5589 

To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program to assist 

institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, and improving veteran student centers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Ms. FRANKEL of Florida (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr. TAKANO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a grant 

program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, and improving veteran student 

centers. 

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 ‘‘Veteran Education 

5 Empowerment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Over 1,000,000 veterans attended institu2 tions of higher education in 2012. 

3 (2) Veterans face unique hardships in 

4 transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom 

5 and eventually to the workforce. 

6 (3) The National Endowment for the Human7 ities’ Warrior-Scholar Project found that ‘‘veterans 

8 transitioning to college likely have not used academic 

9 skills since high school and have difficulty adjusting 

10 to a fundamentally different social and cultural envi11 ronment, [leading] to veterans dropping out of col12 lege before earning their degree’’. 

13 (4) The National Education Association found 

14 that veteran students can feel lonely and vulnerable 

15 on campus and that ‘‘connecting student veterans 

16 can effectively ease this isolation’’ by bringing to17 gether new veteran students with those who have al18 ready successfully navigated the first few semesters 

19 of college. 

20 (5) The unemployment rate for post—9/11 vet21 erans far outpaces both the overall non-veteran un22 employment rate and the unemployment rate for 

23 non-veterans entering the workforce for the first 

24 time. 


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1 (6) According to Mission United—a United 

2 Way program that helps veterans re-acclimate to ci3 vilian life—it is often ‘‘essential’’ for veteran stu4 dents to be mentored by ‘‘another veteran who un5 derstands their mindset and experience’’. 

6 (7) Veteran student centers are recognized as 

7 an institutional best practice by the Student Vet8 erans of America. 

9 (8) The American Council on Education, which 

10 represents more than 1,700 institutions of higher 

11 education across the country, has called having a 

12 dedicated space for veterans on campus ‘‘a prom13 ising way for colleges and universities to better serve 

14 veterans on campus’’ and a ‘‘critical’’ component of 

15 many colleges’ efforts to serve their veteran stu16 dents. 

17 (9) Budget constraints often make it difficult or 

18 impossible for institutions of higher education to 

19 dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student 

20 centers. 

21 (10) The 110th Congress authorized the fund22 ing of veteran student centers through the Centers 

23 of Excellence for Veteran Student Success under 

24 part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 

25 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t). 


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1 (11) According to the Department of Edu2 cation, federally funded veteran student centers and 

3 staff have generated improved recruitment, reten4 tion, and graduation rates, have helped veteran stu5 dents feel better connected across campus, and have 

6 directly contributed to student veterans’ successful 

7 academic outcomes. 

8 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND 

9 IMPROVE VETERAN STUDENT CENTERS. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—From the amounts appro11 priated to carry out this Act, the Secretary of Education 

12 shall establish a program to award grants to institutions 

13 of higher education to assist in the establishment, mainte14 nance, and improvement of veteran student centers. 

15 (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

16 (1) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher 

17 education seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall 

18 submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 

19 in such manner, and containing such information as 

20 the Secretary may require. 

21 (2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary may award a 

22 grant under subsection (a) to an institution of high23 er education if the Secretary determines that the in24 stitution of higher education meets the following cri25 teria: 


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1 (A) The institution has a population of not 

2 less than 15,000 students, of which not less 

3 than one percent are veterans or members of 

4 the Armed Forces. 

5 (B) The institution is located in a region 

6 or community that has a significant population 

7 of veterans. 

8 (C) The institution carries out programs or 

9 activities that assist veterans in the local com10 munity. 

11 (D) The institution presents a sustain12 ability plan to demonstrate that its veteran stu13 dent center will be maintained and will continue 

14 to operate after the term of the grant has 

15 ended. 

16 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—An institution of higher edu17 cation that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) shall 

18 use such grant to establish, maintain, or improve a veteran 

19 student center. 

20 (d) AMOUNTS AWARDED.— 

21 (1) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 

22 subsection (a) shall be for a 4-year period. 

23 (2) TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANT AND SCHED24 ULE.—Each grant awarded under subsection (a) 

25 may not exceed a total of $500,000. Subject to subVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Sep 23, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589

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1 section (e), the Secretary shall disburse to the insti2 tution of higher education the amounts awarded 

3 under the grant in such amounts and at such times 

4 during the grant period as the Secretary determines 

5 appropriate. 

6 (e) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall annually 

7 evaluate each institution of higher education that is 

8 awarded a grant under subsection (a) to determine wheth9 er the institution uses the grant in accordance with this 

10 section. If the Secretary determines that the institution 

11 of higher education is not using the grant in accordance 

12 with this section, the Secretary may delay future disburse13 ments of amounts described in subsection (d)(2) until the 

14 Secretary determines that the institution of higher edu15 cation has corrected any deficiencies and will use such 

16 amounts in accordance with this section. 

17 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

19 to Congress a report on the grant program established 

20 under subsection (a), including— 

21 (1) the number of grants awarded; 

22 (2) the institutions of higher education that 

23 have received grants; 

24 (3) with respect to each such institution of 

25 higher education— 


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1 (A) the amounts awarded; and 

2 (B) how such institution used such 

3 amounts; and 

4 (4) a determination by the Secretary with re5 spect to whether the grant program should be ex6 tended or expanded. 

7 (g) TERMINATION.—The authority of the Secretary 

8 to carry out the grant program established under sub9 section (a) shall terminate on the date that is 4 years after 

10 the date on which the grant program is established. 

11 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

13 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

16 (2) VETERAN STUDENT CENTER.—The term 

17 ‘‘veteran student center’’ means a dedicated space 

18 on a campus of an institution of higher education 

19 that provides students who are veterans or members 

20 of the Armed Forces with the following: 

21 (A) A lounge or meeting space for such 

22 students and veterans in the community. 

23 (B) A centralized office for veteran serv24 ices that— 


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1 (i) is staffed by trained employees and 

2 volunteers; and 

3 (ii) provides such students with assist4 ance relating to— 

5 (I) transitioning from the mili6 tary to student life; 

7 (II) transitioning from the mili8 tary to the civilian workforce; 

9 (III) networking with other such 

10 students; 

11 (IV) understanding and obtaining 

12 benefits provided by the Federal Gov13 ernment or a State for which such 

14 students may be eligible; and 

15 (V) understanding how to suc16 ceed in the institution of higher edu17 cation, including by understanding 

18 how to transfer educational credits. 

Æ 


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