IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2878 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2021 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

a Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities 

Pilot Program, 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, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

HR 2878 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native VetSuccess at 

3 Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. NATIVE VETSUCCESS AT TRIBAL COLLEGES AND 

5 UNIVERSITIES PILOT PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

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

8 Veterans Affairs shall carry out a five-year pilot program, 

9 to be known as the ‘‘Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges 

10 and Universities Pilot Program’’. Under such pilot pro11 gram the Secretary shall— 

12 (1) identify three regional Native VetSuccess 

13 service areas consisting of at least two participating 

14 Tribal colleges or universities; 

15 (2) assign to each regional Native VetSuccess 

16 service area a VetSuccess on Campus counselor and 

17 a full-time Vet Center outreach coordinator, both of 

18 whom shall be based on one or more of the partici19 pating Tribal colleges or universities in the service 

20 area; and 

21 (3) provide for eligible students at such partici22 pating colleges and universities with all services for 

23 which such students would be eligible under the 

24 VetSuccess on Campus program of the Department 

25 of Veterans Affairs. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

HR 2878 RFS

1 (b) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—For purposes of the pilot 

2 program, an eligible student is a student who is a veteran, 

3 member of the Armed Forces, or dependent of a veteran 

4 or member of the Armed Forces who is eligible for any 

5 service or benefit under the VetSuccess on Campus pro6 gram of the Department. 

7 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In developing 

8 the pilot program under this section, the Secretary, acting 

9 through the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program 

10 of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in coordination 

11 with the Office of Tribal Government Relations of the De12 partment, shall consult with Indian tribes, Tribal organi13 zations, and veterans service organizations regarding each 

14 of the following: 

15 (1) The design of the pilot program. 

16 (2) The selection of the three regional Native 

17 VetSuccess service areas and participating Tribal 

18 colleges and universities, taking into consideration— 

19 (A) the number of eligible students en20 rolled in the college or university and in the re21 gional service area; 

22 (B) the capacity of the colleges and univer23 sities in the regional service area to accommo24 date a full-time VetSuccess on Campus counVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:14 May 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2878.RFS H2878

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

HR 2878 RFS

1 selor and a full-time Vet Center outreach coor2 dinator; 

3 (C) the lack of information available at the 

4 colleges and universities in the regional service 

5 area about and lack of access to benefits and 

6 services under the laws administered by the 

7 Secretary; and 

8 (D) any other factor that the Secretary or 

9 the Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and vet10 erans service organizations identify as relevant. 

11 (3) The most effective way to provide culturally 

12 competent outreach and services to eligible students 

13 at Tribal colleges and universities. 

14 (d) OUTREACH TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.— 

15 The Secretary shall provide notice of the pilot program 

16 to all Tribal colleges and universities and encourage all 

17 Tribal colleges and universities to coordinate with each 

18 other to create regional service areas to participate in the 

19 pilot program. 

20 (e) BRIEFINGS AND REPORTS.— 

21 (1) IMPLEMENTATION BRIEFING.—Not later 

22 than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

23 Act, the Secretary shall provide for the Committee 

24 on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Natural 

25 Resources of the House of Representatives and the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

HR 2878 RFS

1 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee 

2 on Indian Affairs of the Senate a briefing on— 

3 (A) the design, structure, and objectives of 

4 the pilot program; and 

5 (B) the three regional Native Vet Success 

6 service areas and the Tribal colleges and uni7 versities selected for participation in the pilot 

8 program and the reason for the selection of 

9 such service areas and such colleges and univer10 sities. 

11 (2) REPORT.—Not later than four years after 

12 the date on which the Secretary establishes the pilot 

13 program, the Secretary shall submit to such Com14 mittees a report on the pilot program. Such report 

15 shall include each of the following: 

16 (A) The number of eligible students pro17 vided services through the pilot program. 

18 (B) The types of services that eligible stu19 dents received through the pilot program. 

20 (C) The graduation rate of eligible stu21 dents who received services through the pilot 

22 program. 

23 (D) The rate of employment within one 

24 year of graduation for eligible students who re25 ceived services through the pilot program. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

HR 2878 RFS

1 (E) Feedback from each Tribal college or 

2 university that participated in the pilot pro3 gram, including on the regional nature of the 

4 program. 

5 (F) Analysis of the feasibility of expanding 

6 a regionally based Native VetSuccess at Tribal 

7 Colleges and Universities Program, including an 

8 explanation of the challenges of such a model 

9 due to issues with distance, communication, and 

10 coordination, and to the level of unmet services. 

11 (G) A detailed legislative proposal regard12 ing a long-term extension of the pilot program, 

13 including a budget, if the Secretary determines 

14 that such an extension is appropriate. 

15 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) The term ‘‘Tribal college or university’’ has 

17 the meaning given such term under section 316 of 

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

19 1059c). 

20 (2) The term ‘‘tribal organization’’ has the 

21 meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian 

22 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

23 (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

24 (3) The term ‘‘culturally competent’’ means 

25 considerate of the unique values, customs, traditions, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

HR 2878 RFS

1 cultures, and languages of Native American vet2 erans. 

3 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HIGH 

4 TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM. 

5 Subsection (g) of section 116 of the Harry W. 

6 Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 

7 (Public Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3001 note), as amended 

8 by section 4302 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, 

9 M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement 

10 Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–315), is amended to read 

11 as follows: 

12 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds 

13 shall be made available for carrying out the pilot program 

14 under this section from funds appropriated to, or other15 wise made available to, the Department for the payment 

16 of readjustment benefits, in the following amounts for a 

17 fiscal year in which the Secretary carries out the pilot pro18 gram: 

19 ‘‘(1) For fiscal year 2019, $62,000,000. 

20 ‘‘(2) For fiscal year 2020, $63,000,000. 

21 ‘‘(3) For fiscal year 2021, $90,000,000. 

22 ‘‘(4) For fiscal year 2022, $90,000,000. 

23 ‘‘(5) For fiscal year 2023, $60,000,000. 

24 ‘‘(6) For fiscal year 2024, $0.’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

HR 2878 RFS

1 SEC. 4. PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO STU2 DENTS WHO ARE ‘‘ROUNDING OUT’’ UNDER 

3 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF 

4 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3680(a) of title 38, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

8 (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the case of 

12 an eligible veteran or eligible person who is pursuing a 

13 program of education on less than a half-time basis during 

14 a period that is the last semester, term, or academic period 

15 the veteran or person will be enrolled in the program of 

16 education because the veteran or person will complete the 

17 program of education at the end of that semester, term 

18 or academic period, the Secretary may, pursuant to such 

19 regulations as the Secretary shall prescribe, provide to the 

20 veteran or person educational assistance under chapter 30, 

21 32, 33, 34, or 35 of this title or under chapter 1606 of 

22 title 10, including a monthly housing stipend described in 

23 section 3313(c) of this title, on the basis of the total num24 ber of credits or courses in which the veteran or person 

25 is enrolled, if— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

HR 2878 RFS

1 ‘‘(A) the number of credits the veteran or per2 son needs to complete the program of education is 

3 less than the number of credits that would constitute 

4 enrollment on a more than half-time basis for that 

5 last semester, term, or academic period; and 

6 ‘‘(B) the veteran or person— 

7 ‘‘(i) is enrolled in, or has completed, every 

8 course offered by the program of education dur9 ing the last semester, term, or academic period 

10 in which the veteran or person is enrolled in the 

11 program of education; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) enrolls in an additional course that is 

13 not required for the completion of such pro14 gram of education and the enrollment in the 

15 non-required course in addition to the required 

16 course or courses in which the veteran or per17 son is enrolled constitutes enrollment on more 

18 than a half-time basis.’’. 

19 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

20 subsection (a) shall take effect on August 1, 2021, and 

21 apply with respect to any semester, term, or academic pe22 riod that begins on or after that date. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

HR 2878 RFS

1 SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES. 

2 Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 

3 is amended by striking ‘‘October 1, 2030’’ each place it 

4 appears and inserting ‘‘December 9, 2030’’. 

5 SEC. 6. EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF DEPARTMENT OF 

6 VETERANS AFFAIRS ASSISTANCE FOR HOME7 LESS VETERANS. 

8 (a) EXPANSION.—Subsection (a) of section 2041 of 

9 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

12 (A), by inserting ‘‘or permanent housing’’ after 

13 ‘‘shelter’’; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

15 ‘‘named in, or approved by the Secretary under, 

16 section 5902 of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘that 

17 is the recipient of a grant under section 2011, 

18 2013, 2044, or 2061 of this title’’; and 

19 (C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 

20 tribal entity,’’ after ‘‘State’’; and 

21 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

22 (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘or to sell or 

23 rent the property directly to homeless veterans 

24 or veterans at-risk of homelessness’’ after ‘‘fam25 ilies’’; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

HR 2878 RFS

1 (B) in each of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), by 

2 striking the comma and inserting a semicolon. 

3 (b) EXTENSION.—Subsection (c) of such section is 

4 amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2017’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘September 30, 2025’’. 

6 SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

7 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

8 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

9 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

10 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

11 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

12 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro13 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

14 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS