I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2248 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve benefits under the Mont-
gomery GI Bill by establishing an enhanced educational assistance pro-
gram, by increasing the amount of basic educational assistance, by re-
pealing the requirement for reduction in pay for participation in the 
program, by eliminating the time limitation for use of benefits under 
the program, by expanding the opportunities to transfer educational 
assistance benefits to dependents, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 11, 2005 
Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. 
CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. HERSETH, Mr. STRICKLAND, Ms. 
HOOLEY, Mr. REYES, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 
PALLONE, Ms. CARSON, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. HOLT, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, 
Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. SERRANO, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, and Mr. CONYERS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 
and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve benefits 
under the Montgomery GI Bill by establishing an en-
hanced educational assistance program, by increasing the 
amount of basic educational assistance, by repealing the 
requirement for reduction in pay for participation in 
the program, by eliminating the time limitation for use 
of benefits under the program, by expanding the opportu-
nities to transfer educational assistance benefits to de-
pendents, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Montgomery GI Bill Improvements Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Enhanced benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill for four years of ac-
tive-duty service. 
Sec. 3. Increase in rates of basic educational assistance under the Montgomery 
GI Bill. 
Sec. 4. Repeal of pay reduction and high school graduation requirement for 
participation in basic educational assistance under the Mont-
gomery GI Bill. 
Sec. 5. Repeal of delimiting date for use of entitlement to basic educational as-
sistance under the Montgomery GI Bill. 
Sec. 6. Elimination of limitation to critical military skills for authority to trans-
fer entitlement. 
Sec. 7. Increase in repayment amounts under the student loan repayment pro-
grams for servicemembers. 
Sec. 8. Expansion of programs of education eligible for accelerated payments of 
educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill. 
SEC. 2. ENHANCED BENEFITS UNDER THE MONTGOMERY 
GI BILL FOR FOUR YEARS OF ACTIVE-DUTY 
SERVICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 30 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subchapter:
‘‘SUBCHAPTER V—ENHANCED EDUCATIONAL 
ASSISTANCE 
‘‘§ 3041. Enhanced educational assistance entitlement 
‘‘(a) ENTITLEMENT.—An eligible individual is enti-
tled to enhanced educational assistance under this sub-
chapter. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—(1) For pur-
poses of this subchapter, the term ‘eligible individual’ 
means an individual who meets the service requirement 
described in subsection (c) and whose status after comple-
tion of such service is described in section 3011(a)(3) of 
this title (relating to continuation on active duty, honor-
able discharge, or honorable service, as the case may be). 
‘‘(2) Such term does not include an individual de-
scribed in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 3011(c) of this 
title (relating to individuals not electing basic educational 
assistance under subchapter II of this chapter or certain 
commissioned officers, respectively). 
‘‘(c) SERVICE REQUIREMENT.—(1) The service re-
quirement referred to in subsection (b) is as follows: 
‘‘(A) After September 30, 2005, the indi-
vidual— 
‘‘(i) first enters on active duty;
‘‘(ii) reenlists or extends an enlistment on 
active duty as a member of the Armed Forces; 
or 
‘‘(iii) in the case of an officer, continues to 
serve on active duty after that date. 
‘‘(B) From the date of such entry, reenlistment, 
extension, or continuation, as the case may be, the 
individual— 
‘‘(i) serves a continuous period of active 
duty of at least four years in the Armed Forces; 
or 
‘‘(ii) serves on active duty in the Armed 
Forces and is discharged or released from ac-
tive duty— 
‘‘(I) as provided in subclause (I) of 
section 3011(a)(1)(A)(ii) of this title (re-
lating to service-connected disabilities and 
other medical conditions); 
‘‘(II) for the convenience of the Gov-
ernment, after having completed not less 
than 42 months of continuous active duty; 
or 
‘‘(III) as provided in subclause (III) 
of section 3011(a)(1)(A)(ii) of this title 
(relating to involuntary discharge or re-