Title: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of veterans to receive in-state tuition using educational assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill removes a deadline that prevents certain veterans from receiving in-state tuition, regardless of their state of residence, using Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits at public institutions of higher education. Currently, a veteran who is discharged or released after at least 90 days of active service must be within three years of their discharge from active duty to receive in-state tuition (regardless of their state of residence).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2136 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2136

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of 
   veterans to receive in-state tuition using educational assistance 
   administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 17, 2019

 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Mr. Manchin) 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 improve the ability of 
   veterans to receive in-state tuition using educational assistance 
   administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 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. REQUIREMENTS FOR IN-STATE TUITION.

    (a) In General.--Section 3679(c) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``less than three 
        years before the date of enrollment in the course concerned''; 
        and
            (2) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) by striking ``It shall'' and inserting ``(A) It 
                shall''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(B)(i) To the extent feasible, the Secretary shall make 
        publicly available on the internet website of the Department a 
        database explaining any requirements described in subparagraph 
        (A) that are established by a public institution of higher 
        learning for an individual to be charged tuition and fees at a 
        rate that is equal to or less than the rate the public 
        institution charges for tuition and fees for residents of the 
        State in which the public institution is located.
            ``(ii) The Secretary shall disapprove a course of education 
        provided by a public institution of higher learning that does 
        not provide the Secretary--
                    ``(I) an initial explanation of the requirements 
                described in subparagraph (A); and
                    ``(II) not later than 90 days after the date on 
                which any requirements change, the updated 
                requirements.''.
    (b) Application.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
with respect to a quarter, semester, or term, as applicable, commencing 
no earlier than August 1, 2020.
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