I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4788 
To provide grants to States for tuition assistance for undergraduate studies 
for members of the Selected Reserve at public institutions of higher learning. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 8, 2004 
Mr. WU introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide grants to States for tuition assistance for under-
graduate studies for members of the Selected Reserve 
at public institutions of higher learning. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Guard and 
Reservists Education Benefits Act’’. 
SEC. 2. BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES FOR TUITION ASSIST-
ANCE FOR MEMBERS OF THE SELECTED RE-
SERVE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education 
shall carry out a program of block grants to States 
under this section to provide for the payment of tui-
tion and fees for undergraduate studies at public in-
stitutions of higher learning otherwise payable by a 
member of the Selected Reserve attending those in-
stitutions for those studies. 
(2) LIMITATION.—Tuition assistance under this 
section shall not be made available to a member of 
the Selected Reserve who participates in the pro-
gram of educational assistance under chapter 1606 
of title 10, United States Code, or under chapter 30 
of title 38, United States Code. 
(b) STATE CERTIFICATIONS.—Not later than October 
1 of each of fiscal year for which a State desires to receive 
an allotment under this section, the chief executive officer 
of the State shall submit to the Secretary a certification 
that the State will— 
(1) use such funds to defray the costs of tuition 
and fees for undergraduate studies of members of 
the Selected Reserve attending public institutions of 
higher learning in the States; 
(2) return any unused funds to the Secretary in 
accordance with the reconciliation process under 
subsection (d); and
(3) comply with the reporting requirements 
under subsection (e). 
(c) PAYMENTS TO STATES.—For each of fiscal years 
2005 through 2010, the Secretary shall pay to each State 
that submits a certification under subsection (b), from any 
funds appropriated under subsection (g), for the fiscal 
year an amount equal to the amount of the allotment de-
termined for the fiscal year under subsection (f). 
(d) RECONCILIATION PROCESS.— 
(1) 3-YEAR AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS ALLOT-
TED.—Each State that receives an allotment under 
this section shall return to the Secretary any unused 
portion of the amount allotted to a State under this 
section for a fiscal year not later than the last day 
of the second succeeding fiscal year together with 
any earnings on such unused portion. 
(2) PROCEDURE FOR REDISTRIBUTION OF UN-
USED ALLOTMENTS.—The Secretary shall establish 
an appropriate procedure for redistributing to States 
that have expended the entire amount allotted under 
this section any amount that is— 
(A) returned to the Secretary by States 
under paragraph (1); or 
(B) not allotted to a State under this sec-
tion because the State did not submit a certifi-
cation under subsection (b) by October 1 of a 
fiscal year. 
(e) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) MONITORING
AND
EVALUATION.—Each 
State receiving an allotment under this section for a 
fiscal year shall monitor and evaluate the tuition as-
sistance program carried out under this section 
using funds made available under this section in 
such manner as the Secretary, in consultation with 
the States, determines appropriate. 
(2) ANNUAL
REPORTS.—Not less frequently 
than annually, each State receiving an allotment 
under this section for a fiscal year shall submit to 
the Secretary reports on the tuition assistance pro-
grams carried out under this section at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
(f) AMOUNT OF ALLOTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), of the amount appropriated for the pur-
pose of making allotments under this section for a 
fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot to each State 
that submits a certification under subsection (b) for 
the fiscal year an amount equal to the amount that 
bears the same ratio to the number of members of
the Selected Reserve residing in the State (as deter-
mined by the Secretary based on the most recent 
March supplement to the Current Population Survey 
of the Bureau of the Census before the beginning of 
the calendar year in which such fiscal year begins) 
as bears to the number of members of the Selected 
Reserve residing in all States. 
(2) MINIMUM ALLOTMENTS.—No allotment for 
a fiscal year under this section shall be less than— 
(A) in the case of a State other than the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 
States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar-
iana Islands, 1 percent of the amount appro-
priated for the fiscal year under subsection (g); 
and 
(B) in the case of the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 0.5 
percent of such amount. 
(3) PRO
RATA
REDUCTIONS.—The Secretary 
shall make such pro rata reductions to the allot-
ments determined under paragraph (1) as are nec-
essary to comply with the requirements of paragraph 
(2). 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2005 through 2010 for purposes of making 
allotments to States under this section. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) SELECTED RESERVE.—The term ‘‘Selected 
Reserve’’ means the Selected Reserve of the Ready 
Reserve of any of the reserve components (including 
the Army National Guard of the United States and 
the Air National Guard of the United States) of the 
Armed Forces, as required to be maintained under 
section 10143(a) of title 10, United States Code. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given that term under section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(4) STATE.—The term State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.