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119-hr-6358119th CongressWALLET
Veteran Education Empowerment Act
Sponsored By: Representative Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22]
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.
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- 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 [D-FL-22]
FL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12]
FL • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
NE • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2]
GA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]
LA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large]
DE • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3]
IA • R
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
ME • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]
AL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Rep. Rivas, Luz M. [D-CA-29]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]
NM • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Sponsored 1/23/2026
Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2]
MN • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 3/27/2026
Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]
HI • D
Sponsored 4/6/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 4/23/2026
Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov