Pandemic Assistance for Student Veterans Act of 2020
Latest action · Oct 1, 2020 Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 1, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Pandemic Assistance for Student Veterans Act of 2020
This bill addresses the administration of educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in relation to the COVID-19 emergency,
Specifically, the VA must provide educational assistance, including housing stipends and allowances, to individuals who are negatively affected by the COVID-19 emergency.
The bill ensures that entitlement to educational assistance will not be charged or counted against the aggregate period in situations where an individual was unable to complete a course or program due to the COVID-19 emergency.
The VA must treat an individual's withdrawal from a program of education due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and December 21, 2021, as a mitigating circumstance and not charge the individual's educational assistance entitlement.
The bill modifies the time limitation for use of Montgomery Bill benefits or vocational rehabilitation benefits during the pandemic so the window of eligibility does not expire during the COVID-19 emergency.
Additionally, the bill adjusts the administration of certain benefits for veterans participating in an apprenticeship or other on-job training during the period between March 1, 2020, and December 21, 2021, including by proportionately reducing the 120-hour monthly training requirement to reflect an individual's period of unemployment without a reduction in training assistance.
The bill expands educational assistance to include programs or courses of education at training establishments (e.g., establishment providing apprentice or other on-job training) during the COVID-19 emergency.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 1, 2020 to Oct 27, 2020; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| R-FL | Gus M. Bilirakis | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| D-NY | Max Rose | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Original | Oct 1, 2020 |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Oct 27, 2020 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Oct 1, 2020 |
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Oct 1, 2020 |
| House | Budget Committee | Referred Oct 1, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2020Introduced in House
- Oct 1, 2020Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 171, October 1, 2020, page H5640.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 7105 | Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 | Related bill | Jan 5, 2021 |
| HR 8415 | Restoring Education Access for Student Veterans Act | Related bill | Sep 29, 2020 |
| HR 8426 | Protecting Apprenticeship Training for Veterans Act | Related bill | Sep 29, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain modifications to the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs in light of the COVID-19 emergency, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Pandemic Assistance for Student Veterans Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Educational facilities and institutions
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employment and training programs
- Government information and archives
- Higher education
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Student aid and college costs
- Unemployment
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2020Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
