II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 257 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require courses of education 

provided by public institutions of higher education that are approved 

for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by 

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans tuition and fees 

at the in-State tuition rate, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2013 

Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself, Mr. NELSON, and Mr. DURBIN) 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 require courses 

of education provided by public institutions of higher 

education that are approved for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans tuition 

and fees at the in-State tuition rate, 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 ‘‘GI Bill Tuition Fair3 ness Act of 2013’’. 

4 SEC. 2. APPROVAL OF COURSES OF EDUCATION PROVIDED 

5 BY PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDU6 CATION FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATIONAL 

7 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY 

8 SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONDI9 TIONAL ON IN-STATE TUITION RATE FOR 

10 VETERANS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3679 of title 38, United 

12 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol13 lowing new subsection: 

14 ‘‘(c)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

15 subtitle, the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee shall 

16 disapprove a course of education provided by a public in17 stitution of higher education unless the institution charges 

18 tuition and fees for a veteran at the same rate as the insti19 tution charges for residents of the State in which the insti20 tution is located, regardless of the veteran’s State of resi21 dence. 

22 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall notify the State approving 

23 agency of the Secretary’s disapproval of a course of edu24 cation under this subsection.’’. 

25 (b) TREATMENT OF ENROLLED BENEFITS RECIPI26 ENTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a veteran or 

2 eligible person who is enrolled before August 1, 

3 2014, in a course of education provided by a public 

4 institution of higher education that was approved 

5 under chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, at 

6 the time of the initial enrollment of the veteran or 

7 eligible person but that is disapproved by the Sec8 retary of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary’s des9 ignee by reason of subsection (c) of section 3679 of 

10 such title, as added by subsection (a) of this section, 

11 the Secretary shall treat such institution as an insti12 tution that is approved under such chapter for pur13 poses of the laws administered by the Secretary with 

14 respect to the veteran or eligible person until the 

15 veteran or eligible person completes the course of 

16 education in which the veteran or eligible person is 

17 enrolled. 

18 (2) TERMINATION.— 

19 (A) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in 

20 subparagraph (B), the Secretary of Veterans 

21 Affairs may not treat an institution of higher 

22 education as an approved institution under 

23 paragraph (1) after August 1, 2018. 

24 (B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

25 the limitation under subparagraph (A) if the 


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1 Secretary determines such a waiver is appro2 priate. 

3 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (c) of section 

4 3679 of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub5 section (a) shall apply with respect to educational assist6 ance provided after August 1, 2014. 

Æ 


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