Title: Student Veterans Housing Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Student Veterans Housing Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to make payments of monthly housing stipends during holidays or other closures at educational institutions and also specifies how monthly housing stipends are paid between school terms or when a recipient transfers to another institution of higher learning.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1946 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1946

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the payment of 
   monthly housing stipends under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational 
              Assistance Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2019

  Ms. Stabenow (for herself and Mr. Roberts) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the payment of 
   monthly housing stipends under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational 
              Assistance 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 ``Student Veterans Housing Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND UNDER POST-9/11 VETERANS 
              EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Payment of Monthly.--Section 3313 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection (k):
    ``(k) Payment of Monthly Housing Stipend.--The Secretary may pay a 
monthly housing stipend under this section to an individual in 
connection with the pursuit of a program of education at an educational 
institution during a period in which the institution is closed during a 
school term in which the individual is pursuing the program of 
education.''.
    (b) Payment for Certain Individuals Between School Terms.--Such 
section is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection (l):
    ``(l) Payment of Monthly Housing Stipend for Certain Individuals 
Between School Terms.--
            ``(1) Consecutive terms at same institution.--If 
        educational assistance is payable under this chapter to an 
        individual for the pursuit of a program of education at an 
        educational institution in consecutive school terms, the second 
        of which does not begin immediately after the first, the 
        monthly housing stipend payable to the individual under this 
        section in connection with such assistance as of the end of the 
        first term may be payable to the individual during the period 
        between such terms if--
                    ``(A) the institution certifies to the Secretary 
                that the individual is enrolled in the institution on 
                an individual term basis;
                    ``(B) the period between such terms does not exceed 
                eight weeks; and
                    ``(C) the length of each such term is not less than 
                the length of the period between such terms.
            ``(2) Consecutive terms at different institutions.--If an 
        individual being paid educational assistance under this chapter 
        for a school term at an institution of higher learning (the 
        preceding term) transfers at the end of the preceding term to 
        another institution of higher learning for the pursuit of a 
        qualifying program of education commencing in the next school 
        term (the following term), the individual may be paid the 
        amount of the monthly housing stipend payable to the individual 
        under this section in connection with such assistance for the 
        preceding term during the period between the preceding term and 
        the following term if the length of such period does not exceed 
        30 days.
            ``(3) No charge against entitlement.--A monthly housing 
        stipend paid to an individual under this subsection shall not 
        be charged against the entitlement of the individual to 
        educational assistance under this chapter.''.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in the amendments made by this 
section shall be construed to alter eligibility for monthly housing 
stipends under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program 
under chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, or any other program 
of educational assistance carried out by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs.
    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, in 
carrying out any program of educational assistance in addition to the 
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program in which a monthly 
housing stipend is payable in connection with receipt of such 
assistance under such program, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should 
apply the requirements and limitations in subsections (k) and (l) of 
section 3313 of title 38, United States Code (as amended by this 
section), in the payment of such stipends, to the extent applicable.
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