Title: GI Bill STEM Extension Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
GI Bill STEM Extension Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay the lesser of nine months or $30,000 of additional Post-9/11 educational assistance to selected eligible veterans who have used all of the Post-9/11 educational assistance to which they were entitled and who: (1) are enrolled in a postsecondary education program that requires more than the standard 128 semester (or 192 quarter) credit hours for completion in a specified science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field; or (2) have earned a postsecondary degree in one of those fields and are enrolled in a teaching certification program.
In selecting eligible individuals, priority shall be given to individuals who: (1) require the most credit hours; or (2) served on active duty service for at least 36 months with an honorable discharge, continued active duty service after such 36-month period, or served at least 30 days of continuous active duty service with a service-connected discharge.
Such additional assistance may not be transferred.
The maximum amount of assistance paid to all eligible individuals in a fiscal year may not exceed $100 million.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2108 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2108

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to provide additional educational assistance benefits 
under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of 
           Veterans Affairs to certain eligible individuals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 20, 2017

 Mr. McKinley (for himself, Ms. Sinema, and Ms. Titus) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to provide additional educational assistance benefits 
under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of 
           Veterans Affairs to certain eligible individuals.

    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 ``GI Bill STEM Extension Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL 
              ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 33 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 3320. Additional benefits
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to the limitation under subsection (f), 
the Secretary shall provide additional benefits to eligible individuals 
selected by the Secretary under this section.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--For purposes of this section, an eligible 
individual is an individual--
            ``(1) who is or was entitled to educational assistance 
        under section 3311 of this title;
            ``(2) who has used all of the educational assistance to 
        which the individual is entitled under this chapter;
            ``(3) who applies for assistance under this section; and
            ``(4) who--
                    ``(A) is enrolled in a program of education leading 
                to a post-secondary degree that requires more than the 
                standard 128 semester (or 192 quarter) credit hours for 
                completion in--
                            ``(i) biological or biomedical science;
                            ``(ii) physical science;
                            ``(iii) science technologies or 
                        technicians;
                            ``(iv) computer and information science and 
                        support services;
                            ``(v) mathematics or statistics;
                            ``(vi) engineering;
                            ``(vii) engineering technologies or an 
                        engineering-related field;
                            ``(viii) a health profession or related 
                        program; or
                            ``(ix) a medical residency program; or
                    ``(B) has earned a post-secondary degree in a field 
                referred to in subparagraph (A) and is enrolled in a 
                program of education leading to a teaching 
                certification.
    ``(c) Priority.--In selecting eligible individuals to receive 
additional benefits under this section, the Secretary shall give 
priority to the following individuals:
            ``(1) Individuals who require the most credit hours 
        described in subsection (b)(4).
            ``(2) Individuals who are entitled to educational 
        assistance under this chapter by reason of paragraph (1) or (2) 
        of section 3311(b) of this title.
    ``(d) Amount of Assistance.--The Secretary shall pay to each 
eligible individual who receives additional benefits under this section 
a one-time, lump sum payment that is the lesser of the following 
amounts (adjusted with respect to the individual pursuant to paragraphs 
(2) through (7) of section 3313(c), as appropriate):
            ``(1) The amount payable under section 3313 of this title 
        for nine months of the program of education in which the 
        individual is enrolled.
            ``(2) $30,000.
    ``(e) Prohibition on Transfer.--An individual who receives 
additional benefits under this section may not transfer any amount of 
such additional benefits under section 3319 of this title.
    ``(f) Maximum Amount of Total Assistance.--The total amount of 
benefits paid to all eligible individuals under this section may not 
exceed $100,000,000 for any fiscal year.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
3319 the following new item:

``3320. Additional benefits.''.
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