Title: GI Bill Access to Career Credentials Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
GI Bill Access to Career Credentials Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide educational assistance for certain preparatory courses. Under the bill, veterans who are entitled to educational assistance may also receive assistance for preparatory courses that are required for licensing or certification tests for employment in specified professions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2345 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2345

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the use of Post-9/
     11 Educational Assistance to pay for preparatory courses for 
   professional licenses and certifications, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2019

Ms. Hirono (for herself and Mr. Rounds) 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 authorize the use of Post-9/
     11 Educational Assistance to pay for preparatory courses for 
   professional licenses and certifications, 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 ``GI Bill Access to Career Credentials 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN PREPARATORY COURSES AS PROGRAMS OF 
              EDUCATION FOR PURPOSES OF POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL 
              ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding the following new section:
``Sec. 3315B. Preparatory courses for licensure, certification, or 
              national tests
    ``(a) In General.--An individual entitled to educational assistance 
under this chapter shall also be entitled to payment for a preparatory 
course for a licensing or certification test that is required or used 
to enter into, maintain, or advance in employment in a predetermined 
and identified vocation or profession.
    ``(b) Amount.--The amount of educational assistance payable under 
this chapter for a course described in subsection (a) is the lesser 
of--
            ``(1) the fee charged for the course; or
            ``(2) the amount of entitlement available to the individual 
        under this chapter at the time of payment for the course under 
        this section.
    ``(c) Charge Against Entitlement.--The number of months of 
entitlement charged an individual under this chapter for a course 
described in subsection (a) shall be pro-rated based on the actual 
amount of the fee charged for the course relative to the rate for one 
month payable--
            ``(1) for the academic year beginning on August 1, 2011, 
        $1,460; or
            ``(2) for an academic year beginning on any subsequent 
        August 1, the amount for the previous academic year beginning 
        on August 1 under this subsection, as increased by the 
        percentage increase equal to the most recent percentage 
        increase determined under section 3015(h) of this title.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 3532(g) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or a preparatory 
        course described in section 3315B(a) of this title'' after ``or 
        national test providing an opportunity for course credit at 
        institutions of higher learning described in section 3501(a)(5) 
        of this title''; and
            (2) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by inserting ``or 
        preparatory course'' after ``test'' everywhere it appears.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to months beginning after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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