In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES TO HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Higher Education 
Assistance Improvement Act''.
    (b) References to Higher Education Act of 1965.--Except as 
otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or 
reference is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or reference to, a 
section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be 
made to a section or other provision of the Higher Education Act of 
1965.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL PROGRAM FUNDING AUTHORIZATIONS.

    (a) Pell Grants.--Section 401(b)(2)(A) (20 U.S.C. 1070(b)(2)(A)) is 
amended by striking clauses (iv) and (v) and inserting the following:
            ``(iv) $7,500 for academic year 2002-2003; and
            ``(v) $7,900 for academic year 2003-2004,''.
    (b) TRIO.--Section 402A(f) (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11(f)) is amended by 
striking ``$700,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting 
``$1,460,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary 
for the succeeding fiscal year''.
    (c) GEAR UP.--Section 404H (20 U.S.C. 1070a-28) is amended by 
striking ``$200,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting 
``$590,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary 
for the succeeding fiscal year''.
    (d) Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants.--Section 413A(b) (20 
U.S.C. 1070b(b)) is amended by striking ``$675,000,000 for fiscal year 
1999 and such sums as may be necessary for the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years'' and inserting ``$1,300,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such 
sums as may be necessary for the succeeding fiscal year''.
    (e) Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need.--Section 716 (20 
U.S.C. 1135e) is amended by striking ``$35,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years'' and inserting ``$62,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums 
as may be necessary for the succeeding fiscal year''.
    (f) Thurgood Marshall.--Section 721(h) (20 U.S.C. 1136(h)) is 
amended by striking ``$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting ``$8,000,000 for fiscal year 
2002 and such sums as may be necessary for the succeeding fiscal 
year''.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS MANDATE.

    It is the sense of Congress that the appropriations for the 
following higher education programs should be increased as follows:
            (1) LEAP.--The appropriations under section 415A(b)(1) (20 
        U.S.C. 1070c(b)(1)) should be doubled to at least $110,000,000 
        for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for the 
        succeeding fiscal year.
            (2) CAMPIS.--The appropriations under section 419N(g) (20 
        U.S.C. 1070e(g)) should be doubled to at least $50,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for the 
        succeeding fiscal year.
            (3) Work-study.--The appropriations under section 441(b) 
        (42 U.S.C. 2751(b)) should be increased to at least 
        $1,050,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be 
        necessary for the succeeding fiscal year.
            (4) National health service corps scholarship and loan 
        repayment programs.--The appropriations under sections 338A and 
        338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l, 254l-1) 
        should be doubled to at least $175,850,000 for fiscal year 2002 
        and such sums as may be necessary for the succeeding fiscal 
        year.
            (5) Perkins loans.--The appropriations under section 
        461(b)(1) (20 U.S.C. 1087aa(b)(1)) should be doubled to at 
        least $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be 
        necessary for the succeeding fiscal year, and the amount 
        available under section 465 for loan cancellation should be 
        doubled to at least $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such 
        sums as may be necessary for the succeeding fiscal year.
            (6) Javits fellowships.--The appropriations under section 
        705 (20 U.S.C. 1134d) should be increased to at least 
        $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be 
        necessary for the succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 4. LOAN FORGIVENESS.

    (a) Expansion of Eligibility.--
            (1) Elimination of new borrower restrictions.--
                    (A) FFEL program.--Section 428J(b) (20 U.S.C. 1078-
                10(b)) is amended by striking ``for any new borrower on 
                or after October 1, 1998, who'' and inserting ``for any 
                borrower who performs the qualifying service on or 
                after October 1, 1998, and who''.
                    (B) Federal direct loan program.--Section 460(b)(1) 
                of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087j(b)(1)) is amended by 
                striking ``for any new borrower on or after October 1, 
                1998, who'' and inserting ``for any borrower who 
                performs the qualifying service on or after October 1, 
                1998, and who''.
            (2) Expansion of eligible service; eliminating delay in 
        service benefit.--
                    (A) FFEL program.--Section 428J(b)(1) is amended to 
                read as follows:
            ``(1) has been engaged--
                    ``(A) in any service that qualifies for 
                cancellation of Federal Perkins Loans under section 
                465(a)(2);
                    ``(B) in full-time employment in service to 
                economically disadvantaged individuals or communities, 
                child and elder care services, social work, public 
                prosecutors and defenders, and police, fire, and rescue 
                services, as defined by the Secretary; or
                    ``(C) in full-time employment in any service that 
                the Secretary recognizes by regulation as providing 
                public service that is comparable to the services 
                described in subparagraph (A) or (B); and''.
                    (B) Federal direct loan program.--Section 
                460(b)(1)(A) (20 U.S.C. 1087j(b)(1)(A)) is amended to 
                read as follows:
                    ``(A) has been engaged--
                            ``(i) in any service that qualifies for 
                        cancellation of Federal Perkins Loans under 
                        section 465(a)(2); or
                            ``(ii) in full-time employment in service 
                        to economically disadvantaged individuals or 
                        communities, child and elder care services, 
                        social work, public prosecutors and defenders, 
                        and police, fire, and rescue services, as 
                        defined by the Secretary;
                            ``(iii) in full-time employment in any 
                        service that the Secretary recognizes by 
                        regulation as providing public service that is 
                        comparable to the services described in clause 
                        (i) or (ii); and''.
                    (C) Perkins loans.--Section 465(a)(2) is amended by 
                adding after the last sentence thereof the following 
                new sentence: ``Whenever the Secretary acts pursuant to 
                section 428J(b)(1)(B) or (C) or 460(b)(1)(A)(ii) or 
                (iii) to recognize by regulation or define additional 
                services as comparable qualifying services under such 
                sections, the Secretary shall, by regulation, recognize 
                such services as qualifying services for purposes of 
                this section.''.
    (b) Amount and Rate of Repayment.--
            (1) FFEL program.--Section 428J(c) (20 U.S.C. 1078-10(c)) 
        is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) Amount and rate of repayment.--The Secretary shall 
        repay the aggregate of the loan obligation on a loan made under 
        section 428 or 428H that is outstanding after the completion of 
        the first complete year of qualifying service described in 
        subsection (b)(1) for which the borrower seeks repayment under 
        this section. Such amount shall be repaid at the rate of one-
        third of such amount for each of the first three years of such 
        service.''.
            (2) Federal direct loan program.--Section 460(c) of such 
        Act (20 U.S.C. 1087j(c)) is amended by striking paragraph (1) 
        and inserting the following:
            ``(1) Amount and rate of repayment.--The Secretary shall 
        cancel the aggregate of the loan obligation on a loan made 
        under section 428 or 428H that is outstanding after the 
        completion of the first complete year of qualifying service 
        described in subsection (b)(1)(A). Such amount shall be 
        canceled at the rate of one-third of such amount for each of 
        the first three years of such service.''.
            (3) Perkins loans.--Section 465(a) (20 U.S.C. 1087ee(a)) is 
        amended by striking paragraph (3)(A) and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(3)(A) The percent of a loan which shall be canceled under 
paragraph (1) of this subsection is at the rate of 33\1/3\ percent for 
each of 3 years of service described in paragraph (2).''.

A: Higher Education Assistance Improvement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to increase funds available for the provision of student financial assistance.Increases the maximum individual Pell grant amount to: (1) $7,500 for academic year 2002-2003; and (2) $7,900 for academic year 2003-2004.Increases amounts authorized to be appropriated for FY 2002 and 2003 under the HEA student assistance provisions: (1) Federal TRIO programs; (2) Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP); (3) supplemental education opportunity grants; (4) graduate assistance in areas of national need; and (5) Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity program.Expresses the sense of Congress that appropriations for the following higher education programs should be increased by specified amounts for FY 2002 and as necessary for FY 2003: (1) Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP); (2) Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CAMPIS); (3) work-study; (4) National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment programs; (5) Perkins loans; and (6) Javits fellowships.Expands eligibility under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), Federal direct loan, and Federal Perkins loan programs by: (1) eliminating certain new borrower restrictions; (2) expanding eligible service; and (3) eliminating delays in service benefit. Directs the Secretary of Education to repay or cancel certain amounts of loan obligations under those HEA student loan programs.
****
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Retirement Security for Life Act of 
2004''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION FOR LIFETIME ANNUITY PAYMENTS.

    (a) Lifetime Annuity Payments Under Annuity Contracts.--Section 
72(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to exclusion 
ratio) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(5) Exclusion for lifetime annuity payments.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of lifetime annuity 
                payments received under one or more annuity contracts 
                in any taxable year, gross income shall not include 50 
                percent of the portion of lifetime annuity payments 
                otherwise includible (without regard to this paragraph) 
                in gross income under this section. For purposes of the 
                preceding sentence, the amount excludible from gross 
                income in any taxable year shall not exceed $20,000.
                    ``(B) Cost-of-living adjustment.--In the case of 
                taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005, the 
                $20,000 amount in subparagraph (A) shall be increased 
                by an amount equal to--
                            ``(i) such dollar amount, multiplied by
                            ``(ii) the cost-of-living adjustment 
                        determined under section 1(f)(3) for the 
                        calendar year in which the taxable year begins, 
                        determined by substituting `calendar year 2004' 
                        for `calendar year 1992' in subparagraph (B) 
                        thereof.
                If any amount as increased under the preceding sentence 
                is not a multiple of $500, such amount shall be rounded 
                to the next lower multiple of $500.
                    ``(C) Application of paragraph.--Subparagraph (A) 
                shall not apply to--
                            ``(i) any amount received under an eligible 
                        deferred compensation plan (as defined in 
                        section 457(b)) or under a qualified retirement 
                        plan (as defined in section 4974(c)),
                            ``(ii) any amount paid under an annuity 
                        contract that is received by the beneficiary 
                        under the contract--
                                    ``(I) after the death of the 
                                annuitant in the case of payments 
                                described in subsection 
                                (c)(5)(A)(ii)(III), unless the 
                                beneficiary is the surviving spouse of 
                                the annuitant, or
                                    ``(II) after the death of the 
                                annuitant and joint annuitant in the 
                                case of payments described in 
                                subsection (c)(5)(A)(ii)(IV), unless 
                                the beneficiary is the surviving spouse 
                                of the last to die of the annuitant and 
                                the joint annuitant, or
                            ``(iii) any annuity contract that is a 
                        qualified funding asset (as defined in section 
                        130(d)), but without regard to whether there is 
                        a qualified assignment.
                    ``(D) Investment in the contract.--For purposes of 
                this section, the investment in the contract shall be 
                determined without regard to this paragraph.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Subsection (c) of section 72 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(5) Lifetime annuity payment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of subsection 
                (b)(5), the term `lifetime annuity payment' means any 
                amount received as an annuity under any portion of an 
                annuity contract, but only if--
                            ``(i) the only person (or persons in the 
                        case of payments described in subclause (II) or 
                        (IV) of clause (ii)) legally entitled (by 
                        operation of the contract, a trust, or other 
                        legally enforceable means) to receive such 
                        amount during the life of the annuitant or 
                        joint annuitant is such annuitant or joint 
                        annuitant, and
                            ``(ii) such amount is part of a series of 
                        substantially equal periodic payments made not 
                        less frequently than annually over--
                                    ``(I) the life of the annuitant,
                                    ``(II) the lives of the annuitant 
                                and a joint annuitant, but only if the 
                                annuitant is the spouse of the joint 
                                annuitant as of the annuity starting 
                                date or the difference in age between 
                                the annuitant and joint annuitant is 15 
                                years or less,
                                    ``(III) the life of the annuitant 
                                with a minimum period of payments or 
                                with a minimum amount that must be paid 
                                in any event, or
                                    ``(IV) the lives of the annuitant 
                                and a joint annuitant with a minimum 
                                period of payments or with a minimum 
                                amount that must be paid in any event, 
                                but only if the annuitant is the spouse 
                                of the joint annuitant as of the 
                                annuity starting date or the difference 
                                in age between the annuitant and joint 
                                annuitant is 15 years or less.
                            ``(iii) Exceptions.--For purposes of clause 
                        (ii), annuity payments shall not fail to be 
                        treated as part of a series of substantially 
                        equal periodic payments--
                                    ``(I) because the amount of the 
                                periodic payments may vary in 
                                accordance with investment experience, 
                                reallocations among investment options, 
                                actuarial gains or losses, cost of 
                                living indices, a constant percentage 
                                applied not less frequently than 
                                annually, or similar fluctuating 
                                criteria,
                                    ``(II) due to the existence of, or 
                                modification of the duration of, a 
                                provision in the contract permitting a 
                                lump sum withdrawal after the annuity 
                                starting date, or
                                    ``(III) because the period between 
                                each such payment is lengthened or 
                                shortened, but only if at all times 
                                such period is no longer than one 
                                calendar year.
                    ``(B) Annuity contract.--For purposes of 
                subparagraph (A) and subsections (b)(5) and (w), the 
                term `annuity contract' means a commercial annuity (as 
                defined by section 3405(e)(6)), other than an endowment 
                or life insurance contract.
                    ``(C) Minimum period of payments.--For purposes of 
                subparagraph (A), the term `minimum period of payments' 
                means a guaranteed term of payments that does not 
                exceed the greater of 10 years or--
                            ``(i) the life expectancy of the annuitant 
                        as of the annuity starting date, in the case of 
                        lifetime annuity payments described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(ii)(III), or
                            ``(ii) the life expectancy of the annuitant 
                        and joint annuitant as of the annuity starting 
                        date, in the case of lifetime annuity payments 
                        described in subparagraph (A)(ii)(IV).
                For purposes of this subparagraph, life expectancy 
                shall be computed with reference to the tables 
                prescribed by the Secretary under paragraph (3). For 
                purposes of subsection (w)(1)(C)(ii), the permissible 
                minimum period of payments shall be determined as of 
                the annuity starting date and reduced by one for each 
                subsequent year.
                    ``(D) Minimum amount that must be paid in any 
                event.--For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term 
                `minimum amount that must be paid in any event' means 
                an amount payable to the designated beneficiary under 
                an annuity contract that is in the nature of a refund 
                and does not exceed the greater of the amount applied 
                to produce the lifetime annuity payments under the 
                contract or the amount, if any, available for 
                withdrawal under the contract on the date of death.''.
    (c) Recapture Tax for Lifetime Annuity Payments.--Section 72 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsection 
(w) as subsection (x) and by inserting after subsection (v) the 
following new subsection:
    ``(w) Recapture Tax for Modifications to or Reductions in Lifetime 
Annuity Payments.--
            ``(1) In general.--If any amount received under an annuity 
        contract is excluded from income by reason of subsection (b)(5) 
        (relating to lifetime annuity payments), and--
                    ``(A) the series of payments under such contract is 
                subsequently modified so any future payments are not 
                lifetime annuity payments,
                    ``(B) after the date of receipt of the first 
                lifetime annuity payment under the contract an 
                annuitant receives a lump sum and thereafter is to 
                receive annuity payments in a reduced amount under the 
                contract, or
                    ``(C) after the date of receipt of the first 
                lifetime annuity payment under the contract the dollar 
                amount of any subsequent annuity payment is reduced and 
                a lump sum is not paid in connection with the 
                reduction, unless such reduction is--
                            ``(i) due to an event described in 
                        subsection (c)(5)(A)(iii), or
                            ``(ii) due to the addition of, or increase 
                        in, a minimum period of payments within the 
                        meaning of subsection (c)(5)(C) or a minimum 
                        amount that must be paid in any event (within 
                        the meaning of subsection (c)(5)(D)),
        then gross income for the first taxable year in which such 
        modification or reduction occurs shall be increased by the 
        recapture amount.
            ``(2) Recapture amount.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of this subsection, 
                the recapture amount shall be the amount, determined 
                under rules prescribed by the Secretary, equal to the 
                amount that (but for subsection (b)(5)) would have been 
                includible in the taxpayer's gross income if the 
                modification or reduction described in paragraph (1) 
                had been in effect at all times, plus interest for the 
                deferral period at the underpayment rate established by 
                section 6621.
                    ``(B) Deferral period.--For purposes of this 
                subsection, the term `deferral period' means the period 
                beginning with the taxable year in which (without 
                regard to subsection (b)(5)) the payment would have 
                been includible in gross income and ending with the 
                taxable year in which the modification described in 
                paragraph (1) occurs.
            ``(3) Exceptions to recapture tax.--Paragraph (1) shall not 
        apply in the case of any modification or reduction that occurs 
        because an annuitant--
                    ``(A) dies or becomes disabled (within the meaning 
                of subsection (m)(7)),
                    ``(B) becomes a chronically ill individual within 
                the meaning of section 7702B(c)(2), or
                    ``(C) encounters hardship.''.
    (d) Lifetime Distributions of Life Insurance Death Benefits.--
            (1) In general.--Section 101(d) of the Internal Revenue 
        Code of 1986 (relating to payment of life insurance proceeds at 
        a date later than death) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Exclusion for lifetime annuity payments.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of amounts to which 
                this subsection applies, gross income shall not include 
                the lesser of--
                            ``(i) 50 percent of the portion of lifetime 
                        annuity payments otherwise includible in gross 
                        income under this section (determined without 
                        regard to this paragraph), or
                            ``(ii) the amount in effect under section 
                        72(b)(5).
                    ``(B) Rules of section 72(b)(5) to apply.--For 
                purposes of this paragraph, rules similar to the rules 
                of section 72(b)(5) and section 72(w) shall apply, 
                substituting the term `beneficiary of the life 
                insurance contract' for the term `annuitant' wherever 
                it appears, and substituting the term `life insurance 
                contract' for the term `annuity contract' wherever it 
                appears.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 101(d)(1) of such Code 
        is amended by inserting ``or paragraph (4)'' after ``to the 
        extent not excluded by the preceding sentence''.
    (e) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by this section shall 
        apply to amounts received in calendar years beginning after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Special rule for existing contracts.--In the case of a 
        contract in force on the date of the enactment of this Act that 
        does not satisfy the requirements of section 72(c)(5)(A) of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by this section), or 
        requirements similar to such section 72(c)(5)(A) in the case of 
        a life insurance contract), any modification to such contract 
        (including a change in ownership) or to the payments thereunder 
        that is made to satisfy the requirements of such section (or 
        similar requirements) shall not result in the recognition of 
        any gain or loss, any amount being included in gross income, or 
        any addition to tax that otherwise might result from such 
        modification, but only if the modification is completed prior 
        to the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
        this Act.

A: Retirement Security for Life Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an exclusion from gross income for 50 percent of the amount otherwise includible in gross income as guaranteed payments from certain annuity or life insurance contracts. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $20,000 in any taxable year. Provides for an inflation adjustment of the $20,000 limitation beginning in 2006.
****
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Education Tuition Support 
Act'' or the ``VETS Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) There is no more important cause than the defense of 
        the United States.
            (2) Since 2003, nearly 1,300,000 members of the Armed 
        Forces have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and over 420,000 
        members of the Armed Forces in the National Guard and Reserve 
        have been called to active duty.
            (3) The men and women of the Armed Forces put their lives 
        on hold, leave their families, jobs, and postsecondary 
        education in order to serve the United States, and do so with 
        distinction.
            (4) In 2005, 500,000 veterans claimed education benefits 
        from the Department of Veterans Affairs and approximately 
        47,000 of those veterans are members of the National Guard or 
        Reserve and recently returned from serving in the Armed Forces 
        in Iraq or Afghanistan.
            (5) Many members of the Armed Forces depend on various 
        forms of financial aid in addition to their Montgomery GI Bill 
        benefits to help fund their college education.
            (6) The 6 percent interest rate cap on all debts of members 
        of the Armed Forces called to active duty guaranteed by the 
        Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. App. 501 et seq.) 
        has been interpreted narrowly by the Secretary of Education not 
        to apply to Federal student loans.
            (7) Members of the Armed Forces who return from deployment 
        overseas in the Armed Forces and who are unable to continue 
        immediately a program of education that they were forced to 
        discontinue because of such deployment are being forced to 
        begin making payments on their private students loans only 1 
        month after such return.
            (8) The transition from service in the Armed Forces in a 
        combat theater to a classroom is a difficult challenge and 
        should not be rushed merely to avoid paying back student loans.
            (9) As of the date of the enactment of this Act, colleges 
        are not required to make reasonable accommodations for students 
        who are called to active duty in the Armed Forces, such as 
        tuition reimbursement and relaxation of requirements for 
        reenrollment.
            (10) Members of the Armed Forces who return from deployment 
        overseas and attempt to reenroll in a program of education are 
        overwhelmed with bureaucracy.
            (11) Studies have shown that symptoms of post-traumatic 
        stress disorder (PTSD) and other non-apparent injuries may take 
        up to a year to manifest.
            (12) Members of the Armed Forces deserve to have at least a 
        full academic year to reintegrate into society before they are 
        required to begin paying back student loans.
            (13) Members of the Armed Forces who fight to protect the 
        United States deserve a Government that fights to protect them.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to assist members of the Armed Forces who return from a 
        deployment to transition from military service to civilian life 
        and to undertake programs of education they were forced to 
        discontinue because of such deployment;
            (2) to provide a 13-month transition period for such 
        members to reenroll in such a program of education and to begin 
        paying back student loans undertaken for such program of 
        education;
            (3) to institute a 6 percent interest rate cap on student 
        loans of a member of the Armed Forces while such member is 
        deployed on active duty; and
            (4) to require providers of programs of education to 
        provide reasonable accommodations to their students who are 
        members of the Armed Forces and who discontinue a program of 
        education because of a deployment.

SEC. 3. RELIEF FOR STUDENTS WHO DISCONTINUE EDUCATION BECAUSE OF 
              MILITARY SERVICE.

    (a) In General.--Title VII of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 
(50 U.S.C. App. 591 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 707. TUITION, REENROLLMENT, AND STUDENT LOAN RELIEF FOR 
              POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS CALLED TO MILITARY SERVICE.

    ``(a) Tuition and Reenrollment.--In the case of a servicemember who 
because of military service discontinues a program of education at an 
institution of higher education that administers a Federal financial 
aid program, such institution of higher education shall--
            ``(1) refund to such servicemember the tuition and fees 
        paid by such servicemember from personal funds, or from a loan, 
        for the portion of the program of education for which such 
        servicemember did not receive academic credit because of such 
        military service; and
            ``(2) provide such servicemember an opportunity to reenroll 
        in such program of education with the same educational and 
        academic status such servicemember had when such servicemember 
        discontinued such program of education because of such military 
        service.
    ``(b) Deferment of Repayment of Loans.--In the case of a 
servicemember who because of military service discontinues a program of 
education at an institution of higher education, the following rules 
shall apply to a provider of student loans who has provided a student 
loan to such servicemember that is not in payment status on the date 
the period of military service begins:
            ``(1) If such servicemember reenrolls in the program of 
        education (or a comparable program) within 13 months following 
        the period of military service, the provider shall disregard 
        the entire period the program of education was discontinued in 
        determining the date on which repayment of the student loan is 
        to begin.
            ``(2) If such servicemember does not so reenroll, the 
        provider shall not require repayment of the student loan to 
        begin before the later of the last day of such 13-month period 
        or the date the repayment was to begin without regard to this 
        subsection.
    ``(c) Interest Rate Limitation on Student Loans.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) of 
        this subsection, a student loan shall be considered an 
        obligation or liability for the purposes of section 207.
            ``(2) Exception.--Subsection (c) of section 207 shall not 
        apply to a student loan.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `Federal financial aid program' means a 
        program providing loans made, insured, or guaranteed under part 
        B, D, or E of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1077 et seq., 1087a et seq., 1087aa et seq.).
            ``(2) The term `institution of higher education' means a 2-
        year or 4-year institution of higher education as defined in 
        section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1002).
            ``(3) The term `student loan' means any loan, whether 
        Federal, State, or private, to assist an individual to attend 
        an institution of higher education, including a loan made, 
        insured, or guaranteed under part B, D, or E of title IV of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1077 et seq., 1087a et 
        seq., 1087aa et seq.).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section (1)(b) of 
such Act is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``Sec. 707. Tuition, reenrollment, and student loan relief for 
                            postsecondary students called to military 
                            service.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect for periods of military service beginning after the date of the 
enactment of this section.

A:
Veterans Education Tuition Support Act or VETS Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to require an institution of higher education, in the case of a servicemember who because of military service discontinues a program of education at an institution that administers a federal financial aid program, to: (1) refund to the servicemember tuition and other fees paid for the portion of the program of education for which the servicemember did not receive academic credit because of such military service; and (2) provide the servicemember an opportunity to reenroll at the institution with the same educational and academic status that the servicemember had when the program was discontinued because of the military service.

Requires a provider of a student loan with respect to such a servicemember: (1) if the servicemember reenrolls in the program of education (or a comparable program) within 13 months following the period of military service, to disregard the entire period that the education was discontinued in determining the date on which student loan repayment is to begin; or (2) if the servicemember does not reenroll, to not require loan repayment to begin before the later of the last day of such 13-month period or the date the repayment was otherwise required to begin.

Prohibits a court from granting a creditor relief from the 6% limit on interest charged against student loan indebtedness.
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