Veteran Education Empowerment Act
Sponsored By: Representative Frankel, Lois
Introduced
Summary
Creates a federal Student Veteran Centers grant program to fund campus centers that help veterans, active-duty members, and their families succeed in college. It defines who can get grants, how funds can be used, and requires reporting and best-practices guidance.
Show full summary
- Colleges and consortia can compete for grants of up to $500,000 over a four-year award to establish, maintain, improve, or operate a Student Veteran Center. Applicants must show significant veteran enrollment and a plan to sustain the center after the grant ends.
- Student veterans and their families gain a dedicated campus space with a lounge, centralized services, a trained veterans’ benefits counselor, orientation for transitioning students, academic and tutoring support, and mental health counseling.
- The Department of Education must report to Congress within three years on recipients, services delivered, demographics served, and outcomes and must post a best-practices website. Priority goes to regions with large veteran populations and to a balanced geographic and institutional mix.
*Authorizes such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026 and the seven following years, with funding subject to future appropriations.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Best-practices website for centers
If enacted, the bill would require the Education Department to build a best-practices website for Student Veteran Centers. The site would be required not later than three years after the first grant is awarded and would provide guidance on effective services and operations. The website would depend on Congress providing money for the program.
Definition and services for centers
If enacted, the bill would define a Student Veteran Center as a dedicated campus space with a lounge or meeting area and a central office for veteran services. The center would need trained staff and volunteers, including veterans, and at least one full-time employee or volunteer trained as a veterans' benefits counselor. Centers would be required to help with transitions to student and work life, benefits and enrollment questions, transfer of credits, academic support and tutoring, networking, and information about disability rights under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act.
Grants for campus veteran centers
If enacted, the bill would create a Department of Education grant program to help colleges build and run Student Veteran Centers. Grants would be for up to four years and could not exceed $500,000 total per award. Awards would be subject to Congress providing money and the Education Secretary would decide payment timing. Applicants would need to show they enroll many or a high share of student veterans and include a plan to keep the center after the grant ends; the Secretary would give priority to schools that serve veterans and families, hire veterans, partner with veteran groups, and ensure fair geographic and size distribution.
Required report to Congress
If enacted, the bill would require the Education Secretary to send Congress a report within three years after the first grant is awarded. The report would list grants, recipients, amounts, how funds were used, and counts and demographics of student veterans, spouses/partners, and children served. It would also show services delivered, whether grants aided degree or certificate completion, identify best practices, and state whether the program should be extended or expanded. The report would be paid for from the program's appropriations.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Frankel, Lois
FL • D
Cosponsors
Bilirakis
FL • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Bacon
NE • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Bell
MO • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Bishop
GA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Budzinski
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Carbajal
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Castor (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Chu
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Dean (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Dingell
MI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Evans (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Fields
LA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Fitzpatrick
PA • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Garcia (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Kelly (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Krishnamoorthi
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Levin
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Lieu
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Lynch
MA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Meng
NY • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Moore (WI)
WI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Moulton
MA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Nunn (IA)
IA • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Peters
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Salinas
OR • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Tlaib
MI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Vargas
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Whitesides
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Wilson (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rivas
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Leger Fernandez
NM • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Titus
NV • D
Sponsored 1/23/2026
Craig
MN • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Tokuda
HI • D
Sponsored 3/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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