Career-Ready Student Veterans Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2360, the Career-Ready Student Veterans Act. This bill will ensure that our veterans are using their post-9/11 GI benefits at career-education programs that actually do what they say they do: prepare students for entry into a specific career field.

My legislation would require that, in order to be eligible to receive GI Bill benefits, programs have programmatic accreditation, if required by the State for employment in a specific field.

Programs also must prepare students for licensure or certification in a field, if required by the State, and they must meet any State- mandated curricular or instructional requirements.

This closely mirrors language included in the fiscal year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act in relation to military tuition assistance.

We all know the importance of a good job in helping veterans successfully transition out of service and into civilian life. Education and training is often a necessary part of finding that job.

Unfortunately, too many veterans waste their time and hard-earned education benefits at career-education programs that don't actually prepare them for that career field. For example, most States require prospective lawyers to have graduated from a law program accredited by the American Bar Association in order to sit for the bar exam.

As we all know, you must pass the bar to practice law. When veterans unwittingly spend their GI Bill benefits at law programs not accredited by the ABA, they graduate with no prospects of becoming a lawyer in most States. My legislation will make sure that this no longer happens.

I thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Brown as well as Chairman Wenstrup and my friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello) for their support.

I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of the Career-Ready Student Veterans Act.

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