Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 became law, with cosponsors from both parties
Written by the Congressional Research Service [2]. 310 words.
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies. The bill provides statutory authority for the VetSuccess on Campus program, which provides veterans with on-campus educational and vocational counseling. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall make a new determination regarding each denied veteran's claim for disability compensation in connection with full-body exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite at specified locations during World War II and resolve reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. For more detailed information, see Congressional Research Service Report R45205 , Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-48) .
- Committees
- House Armed Services Committee
House Veterans' Affairs Committee - Policy area
- Armed Forces and National Security: 268 of 6,567 bills became law, 113th–118th (4.1%)
- Sponsor
- 7 of 90 bills enacted since 2013
- Text versions
- 6, from enrolled bill to public law · 11,842 words
- Subjects
- Administrative remediesComputers and information technologyCongressional oversightDepartment of Veterans AffairsEducational guidanceHigher education +12 more
- Latest action
- Aug 16, 2017: Signed by President.
- Records
- Congress.gov · Bill text
Each bill appears once, under its strongest link. 18 in all.
Related, per CRS or House · 18
- 115th H.R. 1104 Veterans To Enhance Studies Through Accessibility Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 1112 Shauna Hill Post 9/11 Education Benefits Transferability Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 1391 Veterans Success on Campus Act of 2017 R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 1956 Caring for the Families of our Wounded and Fallen Heroes Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 1994 VETERAN Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 2099 GI Bill Fairness Act of 2017 D · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 2108 GI Bill STEM Extension Act of 2017 R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 2257 Guard and Reservists Education Improvement Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 245 Veterans' Education Equity Act R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 3205 Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2017 D · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 3370 Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act D · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 3372 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the restoration of entitlement to educational assistance and other relief for veterans R · Introduced
- 115th H.R. 925 To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the eligibility for monthly stipends paid under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Progr R · Introduced
- 115th S. 1192 Veterans TEST Accessibility Act R · Introduced
- 115th S. 1362 Guard and Reservists Education Improvement Act R · Introduced
- 115th S. 1555 Veterans Education Experience Improvement Act of 2017 R · Introduced
- 115th S. 1598 Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 R · Reported
- 115th S. 410 Shawna Hill Post 9/11 Education Benefits Transferability Act R · Introduced