Home > 107th Congressional Bills > H.R. 802 (eh) To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other purposes. [Engrossed in House] ...H.R. 802 (eh) To authorize the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, and for other purposes. [Engrossed in House] ...
Union Calendar No. 18
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 801
[Report No. 107-27]
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve programs of
educational assistance, to expand programs of transition assistance and
outreach to departing servicemembers, veterans, and dependents, to
increase burial benefits, to provide for family coverage under
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 28, 2001
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Hayworth, and Mr.
Reyes) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
March 26, 2001
Additional sponsors: Mr. Stump, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Buyer, Mr. Simpson,
Mr. Simmons, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Spence, Mr.
Filner, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Ehrlich, Mrs. Roukema, Mr. Goode, Ms. Brown
of Florida, Mr. Baldacci, Ms. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Crenshaw, Mrs.
Kelly, Mr. Terry, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Edwards,
Ms. Solis, Mr. Honda, Mr. Doyle, Ms. Waters, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Owens,
Ms. Berkley, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Shows, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr.
Udall of New Mexico, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. Berry, and Mrs.
McCarthy of New York
March 26, 2001
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in
italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on
February 28, 2001]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve programs of
educational assistance, to expand programs of transition assistance and
outreach to departing servicemembers, veterans, and dependents, to
increase burial benefits, to provide for family coverage under
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans
Opportunities Act of 2001''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I--EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROVISIONS
Sec. 101. Increase in maximum allowable annual Senior ROTC educational
assistance for eligibility for benefits
under the Montgomery GI Bill.
Sec. 102. Expansion of work-study opportunities.
Sec. 103. Inclusion of certain private technology entities in the
definition of educational institution.
Sec. 104. Expansion of special restorative training benefit to certain
disabled spouses or surviving spouses.
Sec. 105. Distance education.
Sec. 106. Technical amendments to the Montgomery GI Bill.
TITLE II--TRANSITION AND OUTREACH PROVISIONS
Sec. 201. Authority to establish overseas veterans assistance offices
to expand transition assistance.
Sec. 202. Timing of preseparation counseling.
Sec. 203. Improvement in education and training outreach services for
separating servicemembers and veterans.
Sec. 204. Expansion of outreach efforts to eligible dependents.
Sec. 205. Improvement of veterans outreach programs.
TITLE III--MEMORIAL AFFAIRS, INSURANCE, AND OTHER PROVISIONS
Sec. 301. Increase in burial benefits.
Sec. 302. Family coverage under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.
Sec. 303. Retroactive applicability of increase in maximum SGLI benefit
for members dying in performance of duty on
or after October 1, 2000.
Sec. 304. Increase in amount of assistance for automobile and adaptive
equipment for certain disabled veterans.
Sec. 305. Increase in assistance amount for specially adapted housing.
Sec. 306. Revision of rules with respect to net worth limitation for
eligibility for pensions for veterans who
are permanently and totally disabled from a
non-service-connected disability.
Sec. 307. Technical amendments.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to
be made to a section or other provision of title 38, United States
Code.
TITLE I--EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROVISIONS
SEC. 101. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE ANNUAL SENIOR ROTC EDUCATIONAL
ASSISTANCE FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS UNDER THE
MONTGOMERY GI BILL.
(a) In General.--Sections 3011(c)(3)(B) and 3012(d)(3)(B) are each
amended by striking ``$2,000'' and inserting ``$3,400''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply
with respect to educational assistance allowances paid under chapter 30
of title 38, United States Code, for months beginning after such date.
SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF WORK-STUDY OPPORTUNITIES.
(a) Assisting in Outreach Services.--The second sentence of section
3485(a)(1) is amended in clause (A) by inserting before the comma the
following: ``or outreach services to servicemembers and veterans
furnished by employees of State approving agencies''.
(b) Working in Major Academic Discipline.--Such sentence is further
amended--
(1) by striking ``or (E)'' and inserting ``(E)''; and
(2) by inserting before the period the following: ``, or
(F) in the case of an individual who has declared a major
academic discipline, activities within the department of that
academic discipline approved by the Secretary that complement
and reinforce the program of education pursued by that
individual''.
(c) Working in State Veterans Home.--Such sentence is amended in
clause (C) by inserting after the comma ``including the provision of
such care to veterans in a State home for which payment is made under
section 1741 of this title,''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to agreements entered into under section 3485 of
title 38, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 103. INCLUSION OF CERTAIN PRIVATE TECHNOLOGY ENTITIES IN THE
DEFINITION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.
(a) In General.--Sections 3452(c) and 3501(a)(6) are each amended
by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``Such term also
includes any private entity (that meets such requirements as the
Secretary may establish) that offers, either directly or under an
agreement with another entity (that meets such requirements), a course
or courses to fulfill requirements for the attainment of a license or
certificate generally recognized as necessary to obtain, maintain, or
advance in employment in a profession or vocation in a technological
occupation (as determined by the Secretary).''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply to enrollments in courses occurring on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
SEC. 104. EXPANSION OF SPECIAL RESTORATIVE TRAINING BENEFIT TO CERTAIN
DISABLED SPOUSES OR SURVIVING SPOUSES.
(a) In General.--Section 3540 is amended by striking ``section
3501(a)(1)(A) of this title'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (A), (B),
and (D) of section 3501(a)(1) of this title''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 3541(a) is amended in the
matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``of the parent or
guardian''.
(2) Section 3542(a) is amended--
(A) by striking ``the parent or guardian shall be entitled
to receive on behalf of such person'' and inserting ``the
eligible person shall be entitled to receive''; and
(B) by striking ``upon election by the parent or guardian
of the eligible person'' and inserting ``upon election by the
eligible person''.
(3) Section 3543(a) is amended by striking ``the parent or guardian
for the training provided to an eligible person'' and inserting ``for
the training provided to the eligible person''.
(4) Section 3543 is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(c) In a case in which the Secretary determines requires a parent
or guardian to make a request under section 3541(a) of this title on
behalf of an eligible person, the parent or guardian shall be
entitled--
``(1) to receive on behalf of the eligible person the
special training allowance provided for under section 3542(a)
of this title;
``(2) to elect an increase in the basic monthly allowance
provided for under such section; and
``(3) to agree with the Secretary on the fair and
reasonable amounts which may be charged under subsection
(a).''.
SEC. 105. DISTANCE EDUCATION.
(a) In General.--Subsection (a)(4) of section 3680A is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``leading''; and
(2) by inserting before the period the following: ``, or
(B) to a certificate that reflects educational attainment
offered by an institution of higher learning''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply to enrollments in independent study courses beginning on or after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 106. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO THE MONTGOMERY GI BILL.
(a) Clarification of Eligibility Requirement for MGIB Benefits.--
(1) In general.--Clause (i) of section 3011(a)(1)(A) is
amended to read as follows:
``(i) who (I) in the case of an individual
whose obligated period of active duty is three
years or more, serves at least three years of
continuous active duty in the Armed Forces, or
(II) in the case of an individual whose
obligated period of active duty is less than
three years, serves at least two years of
continuous active duty in the Armed Forces;
or''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the
Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2000
(Public Law 106-419).
(b) Entitlement Charge for Off-Duty Training and Education.--
(1) In general.--Section 3014(b)(2) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``(without
regard to'' and all that follows through
``subsection''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(C) The number of months of entitlement charged under this
chapter in the case of an individual who has been paid a basic
educational assistance allowance under this subsection shall be equal
to the number (including any fraction) determined by dividing the total
amount of such educational assistance allowance paid the individual by
the full-time monthly institutional rate of educational assistance
which such individual would otherwise be paid under subsection (a)(1),
(b)(1), (c)(1), or (e)(1) of section 3015 of this title, as the case
may be.''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--(A) Section 3015 is amended--
(i) in subsections (a)(1) and (b)(1), by inserting
``subsection (g)'' after ``from time to time under'';
(ii) by striking the first subsection (g), as
inserted by section 1602(b)(3)(C) of the Floyd D.
Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2001 (enacted by Public Law 106-398; 114 Stat.
1654A-359); and
(iii) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection
(g).
(B) Section 3032(b) is amended by inserting before the
period at the end the following: ``, or (3) the amount of the
charges of the educational institution elected by the
individual under section 3014(b)(1) of this title''.
(3) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection
shall take effect as if enacted on November 1, 2000.
(c) Incremental MGIB Increases for Contributing Active Duty
Members.--
(1) In general.--Section 3011(e), as added by section
105(a)(1) of the Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement
Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-419; 114 Stat. 1828), is amended--
(A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, but not more
frequently than monthly'' before the period;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``$4'' and
inserting ``$20''; and
(C) in paragraph (4)--
(i) by striking ``Secretary. The'' and
inserting ``Secretary of the military
department concerned. That''; and
(ii) by striking ``by the Secretary''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--(A) Section 3012(f), as added
by section 105(a)(2) of such Act, is amended--
(i) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, but not more
frequently than monthly'' before the period;
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``$4'' and
inserting ``$20''; and
(iii) in paragraph (4)--
(I) by striking ``Secretary. The'' and
inserting ``Secretary of the military
department concerned. That''; and
(II) by striking ``by the Secretary''.
(B) Section 3015(g), as added by section 105(b)(3) of such
Act, is amended--
(i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
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