Title: Vet OUTREACH Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veteran Outreach Understanding To Reach Every American Courageous Hero Act or the Vet OUTREACH Act
This bill authorizes state approving agencies (SAAs) to conduct outreach activities to increase awareness of education and training opportunities available to veterans if funding is available, and the SAA has properly conducted its enforcement and approval of education programs. SAAs are state agencies responsible for approving and monitoring education and training programs for veterans who are using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits.
Under the bill, the SAA shall be considered to have properly conducted its enforcement and approval duties if it has fulfilled its VA cooperative agreement requirements and has completed a risk-based program review of any program determined to be of questionable quality or at risk by government or accrediting agencies.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5284 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5284

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize State approving 
               agencies to carry out outreach activities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 3, 2019

 Mr. Khanna (for himself, Mr. Kim, Mr. Waltz, and Mr. Cook) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize State approving 
               agencies to carry out outreach activities.

    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 ``Veteran Outreach Understanding To 
Reach Every American Courageous Hero Act'' or the ``Vet OUTREACH Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) State Approving Agencies (SAAs) play a critical role 
        administering GI Bill benefits to veterans.
            (2) SAAs ensure veterans can use their GI Bill benefits at 
        quality education and job-training programs like 
        apprenticeships.
            (3) The SAAs primary purpose is to review, evaluate, and 
        approve education and training programs to ensure veterans have 
        the highest quality education.
            (4) The VALOR Act (Public Law 115-89), makes it easier for 
        employers to offer apprenticeships to veterans.
            (5) In 2015, SAAs across the country conducted almost 
        50,000 outreached-related actions to ensure veterans were 
        informed of the benefits they are entitled to receive.
            (6) SAAs are now left to rely on outreach products created 
        before 2015 and can no longer travel to job fairs and employers 
        to ensure veterans, educational institutions, and employers 
        know about the potential benefits and opportunities of the GI 
        Bill.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF STATE APPROVING AGENCIES TO CARRY OUT OUTREACH 
              ACTIVITIES.

    Section 3673 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Outreach Activities.--
            ``(1) A State approving agency may carry out outreach 
        activities if it has properly conducted its enforcement and 
        approval of education programs and funds are still available to 
        do so.
            ``(2) A SAA shall be considered to have properly conducted 
        its enforcement and approval of education programs if it has 
        met its Department of Veterans Affairs cooperative agreement 
        requirements relating to the oversight and approval of 
        programs, and has completed a risk-based program review of any 
        program determined to be of questionable quality or at risk by 
        any Federal or State agency or any accrediting agency.
            ``(3) Outreach activities carried out under this subsection 
        shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be 
        appropriated. No additional amounts are authorized to be 
        appropriated to carry out this subsection.''.
                                 <all>