Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act
Bill: H.R.2878 | Sponsor: Rep. Gallego, Ruben (D-AZ)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take specified actions to assist veterans with education, employment, and housing.
First, the bill requires the VA to carry out a five-year pilot program to provide on-campus benefits assistance and counseling to eligible students at tribal colleges and universities. An eligible student is a student who (1) is a veteran, a service member, or a dependent of a veteran or service member; and (2) is eligible for any service or benefit under the VetSuccess on Campus program.
Next, the bill increases through FY2023 the annual funding limit for the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses pilot program.
In addition, the bill authorizes the VA to provide educational assistance, including a monthly housing stipend, to an eligible veteran who is pursuing an educational program on less than a half-time basis during the veteran's last semester, term, or academic period of enrollment.
The bill extends to December 9, 2030, certain housing loan fees under the VA home loan program.
Finally, the bill extends to September 30, 2025, the authority of the VA to enter into agreements with certain entities to provide housing assistance for homeless veterans. The bill also revises the program, including by allowing the VA to enter into agreements with tribal entities.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a Native 
 VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges 
and Universities Pilot Program Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIVE VETSUCCESS AT TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PILOT 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a five-year pilot program, to be known as the ``Native VetSuccess 
at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program''. Under such pilot 
program the Secretary shall--
            (1) identify three regional Native VetSuccess service areas 
        consisting of at least two participating Tribal colleges or 
        universities;
            (2) assign to each regional Native VetSuccess service area 
        a VetSuccess on Campus counselor and a full-time Vet Center 
        outreach coordinator, both of whom shall be based on one or 
        more of the participating Tribal colleges or universities in 
        the service area; and
            (3) provide for eligible students at such participating 
        colleges and universities with all services for which such 
        students would be eligible under the VetSuccess on Campus 
        program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Eligible Students.--For purposes of the pilot program, an 
eligible student is a student who is a veteran, member of the Armed 
Forces, or dependent of a veteran or member of the Armed Forces who is 
eligible for any service or benefit under the VetSuccess on Campus 
program of the Department.
    (c) Consultation Requirement.--In developing the pilot program 
under this section, the Secretary, acting through the Veteran Readiness 
and Employment Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in 
coordination with the Office of Tribal Government Relations of the 
Department, shall consult with Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and 
veterans service organizations regarding each of the following:
            (1) The design of the pilot program.
            (2) The selection of the three regional Native VetSuccess 
        service areas and participating Tribal colleges and 
        universities, taking into consideration--
                    (A) the number of eligible students enrolled in the 
                college or university and in the regional service area;
                    (B) the capacity of the colleges and universities 
                in the regional service area to accommodate a full-time 
                VetSuccess on Campus counselor and a full-time Vet 
                Center outreach coordinator;
                    (C) the lack of information available at the 
                colleges and universities in the regional service area 
                about and lack of access to benefits and services under 
                the laws administered by the Secretary; and
                    (D) any other factor that the Secretary or the 
                Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and veterans 
                service organizations identify as relevant.
            (3) The most effective way to provide culturally competent 
        outreach and services to eligible students at Tribal colleges 
        and universities.
    (d) Outreach to Colleges and Universities.--The Secretary shall 
provide notice of the pilot program to all Tribal colleges and 
universities and encourage all Tribal colleges and universities to 
coordinate with each other to create regional service areas to 
participate in the pilot program.
    (e) Briefings and Reports.--
            (1) Implementation briefing.--Not later than one year after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        provide for the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
        Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
        Indian Affairs of the Senate a briefing on--
                    (A) the design, structure, and objectives of the 
                pilot program; and
                    (B) the three regional Native Vet Success service 
                areas and the Tribal colleges and universities selected 
                for participation in the pilot program and the reason 
                for the selection of such service areas and such 
                colleges and universities.
            (2) Report.--Not later than four years after the date on 
        which the Secretary establishes the pilot program, the 
        Secretary shall submit to such Committees a report on the pilot 
        program. Such report shall include each of the following:
                    (A) The number of eligible students provided 
                services through the pilot program.
                    (B) The types of services that eligible students 
                received through the pilot program.
                    (C) The graduation rate of eligible students who 
                received services through the pilot program.
                    (D) The rate of employment within one year of 
                graduation for eligible students who received services 
                through the pilot program.
                    (E) Feedback from each Tribal college or university 
                that participated in the pilot program, including on 
                the regional nature of the program.
                    (F) Analysis of the feasibility of expanding a 
                regionally based Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges 
                and Universities Program, including an explanation of 
                the challenges of such a model due to issues with 
                distance, communication, and coordination, and to the 
                level of unmet services.
                    (G) A detailed legislative proposal regarding a 
                long-term extension of the pilot program, including a 
                budget, if the Secretary determines that such an 
                extension is appropriate.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Tribal college or university'' has the 
        meaning given such term under section 316 of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c).
            (2) The term ``tribal organization'' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
            (3) The term ``culturally competent'' means considerate of 
        the unique values, customs, traditions, cultures, and languages 
        of Native American veterans.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY PILOT 
              PROGRAM.

    Subsection (g) of section 116 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 
Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-48; 38 U.S.C. 3001 
note), as amended by section 4302 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. 
Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 
(Public Law 116-315), is amended to read as follows:
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--Funds shall be made 
available for carrying out the pilot program under this section from 
funds appropriated to, or otherwise made available to, the Department 
for the payment of readjustment benefits, in the following amounts for 
a fiscal year in which the Secretary carries out the pilot program:
            ``(1) For fiscal year 2019, $62,000,000.
            ``(2) For fiscal year 2020, $63,000,000.
            ``(3) For fiscal year 2021, $90,000,000.
            ``(4) For fiscal year 2022, $90,000,000.
            ``(5) For fiscal year 2023, $60,000,000.
            ``(6) For fiscal year 2024, $0.''.

SEC. 4. PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE 
              ``ROUNDING OUT'' UNDER EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3680(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
        inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the case of an eligible 
veteran or eligible person who is pursuing a program of education on 
less than a half-time basis during a period that is the last semester, 
term, or academic period the veteran or person will be enrolled in the 
program of education because the veteran or person will complete the 
program of education at the end of that semester, term or academic 
period, the Secretary may, pursuant to such regulations as the 
Secretary shall prescribe, provide to the veteran or person educational 
assistance under chapter 30, 32, 33, 34, or 35 of this title or under 
chapter 1606 of title 10, including a monthly housing stipend described 
in section 3313(c) of this title, on the basis of the total number of 
credits or courses in which the veteran or person is enrolled, if--
            ``(A) the number of credits the veteran or person needs to 
        complete the program of education is less than the number of 
        credits that would constitute enrollment on a more than half-
        time basis for that last semester, term, or academic period; 
        and
            ``(B) the veteran or person--
                    ``(i) is enrolled in, or has completed, every 
                course offered by the program of education during the 
                last semester, term, or academic period in which the 
                veteran or person is enrolled in the program of 
                education; and
                    ``(ii) enrolls in an additional course that is not 
                required for the completion of such program of 
                education and the enrollment in the non-required course 
                in addition to the required course or courses in which 
                the veteran or person is enrolled constitutes 
                enrollment on more than a half-time basis.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on August 1, 2021, and apply with respect to any semester, 
term, or academic period that begins on or after that date.

SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES.

    Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``October 1, 2030'' each place it appears and inserting 
``December 9, 2030''.

SEC. 6. EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS VETERANS.

    (a) Expansion.--Subsection (a) of section 2041 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``or permanent housing'' after ``shelter'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``named in, or 
                approved by the Secretary under, section 5902 of this 
                title'' and inserting ``that is the recipient of a 
                grant under section 2011, 2013, 2044, or 2061 of this 
                title''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, tribal 
                entity,'' after ``State''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(B)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by inserting ``or to sell or 
                rent the property directly to homeless veterans or 
                veterans at-risk of homelessness'' after ``families''; 
                and
                    (B) in each of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), by 
                striking the comma and inserting a semicolon.
    (b) Extension.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended by 
striking ``September 30, 2017'' and inserting ``September 30, 2025''.

SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2021.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.