Gi Bill Planning Act of 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4162) to amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the period under which an election must be made for entitlement to educational assistance under the All-Volunteer Educational Assistance Program of Department of Veterans Affairs, to phase out the use of such program, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4162
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 ``GI Bill Planning Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. PERIOD FOR ELECTION TO RECEIVE BENEFITS UNDER ALL- VOLUNTEER EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) In General.--Section 3011 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``Any such election shall be made at the time the individual initially enters on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces'' and inserting ``Any such election shall be made during the 90-day period beginning on the day that is 180 days after the date on which the individual initially enters initial training''; and
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``that such individual is entitled to such pay'' and inserting ``that begin after the date that is 270 days after the date on which the individual initially enters initial training''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. PHASE OUT OF ALL-VOLUNTEER EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
Subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 3011 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 1, is further amended by striking ``after June 30, 1985'' and inserting ``during the period beginning July 1, 1985, and ending September 30, 2029''. SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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Mr. TAKANO. 4162, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4162, as amended, the GI Bill Planning Act of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, this bill was introduced by Representative Jack Bergman and Representative Kathleen Rice. Both of them are great members of our committee and tireless fighters for veterans. I thank Representative Bergman for his work on this legislation and his commitment to working with me on several issues related to veterans education and healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, with the enactment of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill has become a less attractive option for many servicemembers. In most cases, the benefits are worse for servicemembers when choosing the Montgomery GI Bill instead of the Forever GI Bill. The issue is that many servicemembers sign up without knowing what they are signing up for.
For a servicemember to receive benefits through the Montgomery GI Bill, they must elect to pay into it when they first enter the military. Often, this is a chaotic period in a servicemember's life, to say the least. They are unable to give the decision much thought or do not fully understand the full impact of the decision at the time.
Also, there have been ongoing reports that some servicemembers are pressured to sign up by instructors at initial entry training or lose the benefit. This bill addresses this concern by moving the date when a servicemember elects to join the program so they can better understand and make a better informed decision.
Many end up signing up for the Montgomery GI Bill benefits only to never use them and never see them refunded. This is wrong and a waste of our servicemembers' money.
The committee will work to ensure that the Post-9/11 GI Bill is updated to ensure that future generations who may have benefited more from the Montgomery GI Bill than the Post-9/11 GI Bill do not see one bit of a drop-off in potential benefits. With the work we are doing to empower State approving agencies to improve the quality of education, now is the time for us also to improve the quality of benefits for our servicemembers.
I thank Representative Bergman and Representative Rice for their leadership, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4162.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4162, as amended, the GI Bill Planning Act of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, in order to be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, servicemembers automatically have $100 a month deducted from their paycheck for the first 12 months of their service for a total of $1,200. Currently, servicemembers have to elect to opt out of these payments just a few short days into their basic training or boot camp. From personal experience, I can say that is not the time to be making such an important decision.
This bill would extend the time the servicemember has to elect out of the Montgomery GI Bill to a 90-day period beginning 180 days after the date the servicemember enters training. It gives them 6 months to kind of think about it a little bit and then some time.
By delaying the decision to elect out of that Montgomery GI Bill, servicemembers will have more of an opportunity to research which GI Bill, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, or the Montgomery GI Bill is best suited to meet their educational needs in the future outside of the pressure and constraints of boot camp.
In addition, this bill would responsibly sunset the Montgomery GI Bill benefit for new enlistees in 2029. This would mean that current servicemembers or anyone who chooses this benefit before 2029, would not be impacted.
While the legacy of the Montgomery GI Bill benefit has helped thousands, it only makes sense to move to the more generous Post-9/11 GI Bill. This change would help ease confusion among student veterans and make things easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to administer the benefit.
I am also glad that the text of my bill, H.R. 3608, which would extend in-state tuition benefits to veterans is also included in this bill. The 2014 CHOICE Act required that public schools charge veterans who are within 3 years of their discharge in-state tuition rates regardless of whether they meet the State's residency requirements in order to be eligible for GI Bill programs.
That requirement was waivable, but to date, all States and public schools are complying with it. Last Congress I was proud to coauthor the Forever GI Bill, which, among other improvements to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, eliminated the requirement that a veteran's 36 months of GI Bill benefits expire 15 years after their last discharge from Active Duty.
Now that this change has become law, it makes no sense to require that the veteran be within 3 years of their discharge to receive in- state tuition rates if they have their entire lives to use their GI Bill benefits.
I want to thank my good friend and colleague Congressman Jack Bergman from Michigan for all of his hard work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the GI Bill Planning Act of 2019.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and I am prepared to close.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. General Bergman served as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the 115th Congress, and he is now the ranking member.
Mr. Speaker, I didn't get a chance to wish the gentleman a belated happy Veterans Day.
Let me just say, I wish to extend a belated happy Veterans Day to both of my colleagues, Dr. Roe and General Bergman. We certainly appreciate their service. I extend this congratulations and gratitude to all of our servicemembers, and I underscore all of our servicemembers, whether they be the Marines, the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, or the Coast Guard. And I understand the friendly rivalry, but I want to make sure that everyone knows whatever service they engaged, that America appreciates them.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee.
I, too, have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I recommend that all of my colleagues support this very commonsense legislation, the GI Bill.
I used the GI Bill in 1975-1976, when I got out of the Army. It was an amazing piece of legislation. It helped me then. I am appreciative to this day that my country invested $300 a month in me for 2 years, and that I got to use that. It really helped me a lot.
This bill that we have now, the Forever GI Bill, is a phenomenal benefit for young people. We know the GI Bill helped transform a generation after World War II. I believe this Forever GI Bill will transform this generation, and I wholeheartedly encourage my colleagues to support it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the ranking member regarding the transformative power of the GI Bill right after World War II, what it did for a generation.
I want to also take note that the Forever GI Bill was shepherded by Ranking Member Roe when he was the chairman and it still is an amazing, remarkable accomplishment that we have made the GI Bill a lifetime benefit that can be used at any point in a veteran's lifetime. And, also, if they don't use it, they can transfer it to a spouse or their children. This is a remarkable piece of legislation.
It took cooperation of a minority working in good faith during the last session of Congress, and I think it is a remarkable accomplishment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4162, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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