United States 116th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

HR 3608 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of veterans to receive in-state tuition using educational assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

This bill updates provisions related to in-state tuition, including by removing a deadline that prevents certain veterans from receiving in-state tuition, regardless of their state of residence, using Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits at public institutions of higher education.

Bill Text

Sections of law this bill changes

1 section in 1 law

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-121).

Administration of educational benefits · 38 U.S.C. ch. 36 1 section
  • § 3679 Disapproval of courses Amends

    38 U.S.C. § 3679 — at 3679(c)

    The law today

    (a) (1) Except as provided by paragraph (2), any course approved for the purposes of this chapter which fails to meet any of the requirements of this chapter (including failure to comply with a risk-based survey under this chapter or secure an affirmation of approval by the appropriate State approving agency following the survey) shall be immediately disapproved by the Secretary or the appropriate State approving agency. An educational institution which has its courses disapproved by the Secretary or a State approving agency will be notified of such disapproval by a certified or registered letter of notification and a return receipt secured. (2) In the case of a course of education that would be subject to disapproval under paragraph (1) solely for the reason that the Secretary of Education withdraws the recognition of the accrediting agency that accredited the course, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, and notwithstanding the withdrawal, may continue to treat the course as an approved course of education under this chapter for a period not to exceed 18 months from the date of the withdrawal of recognition of the accrediting agency, unless the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the appropriate State approving agency determines that there is evidence to support the disapproval of the course under this chapter. The Secretary shall provide to any veteran enrolled in such a course of education notice of the status of the course of education. (3) In this section, the term “risk-based survey” means a risk-based survey developed under section 3673A(a) of this title. (b) Each State approving agency shall notify the Secretary of each course which it has disapproved under this section. The Secretary shall notify the State approving agency of the Secretary’s disapproval of any educational institution under chapter 31 of this title. (c) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter and subject to paragraphs (3) through (6), the Secretary shall disapprove a course of education provided by a public institution of higher learning if the institution charges tuition and fees for that course for covered individuals who are pursuing the course with educational assistance under chapter 30, 31, 33, or 35 of this title, or chapter 1606 of title 10, while living in the State in which the institution is located at a rate that is higher than the rate the institution charges for tuition and fees for that course for residents of the State in which the institution is located, regardless of the covered individual’s State of residence. (2) For purposes of this subsection, a covered individual is any individual as follows: (A) A veteran who was discharged or released from a period of not fewer than 90 days of service in the active military, naval, air, or space service. (B) An individual who is entitled to assistance under— (i) section 3311(b)(8) of this title; or (ii) section 3319 of this title by virtue of the individual’s relationship to— (I) a veteran described in subparagraph (A); or (II) a member of the uniformed services described in section 3319(b) of this title who is serving on active duty. (C) An individual who is entitled to rehabilitation under section 3102(a) of this title. (D) An individual who is entitled to assistance under section 3510 of this title. (E) An individual who is entitled to assistance under section 16131 of title 10. (3) If after enrollment in a course of education that is subject to disapproval under paragraph (1) by reason of paragraph (2)(A), (2)(B), or (2)(C) a covered individual pursues one or more courses of education at the same public institution of higher learning while remaining continuously enrolled (other than during regularly scheduled breaks between courses, semesters or terms) at that institution of higher learning, any course so pursued by the covered individual at that institution of higher learning while so continuously enrolled shall also be subject...

    24 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill modifies the requirements for in-state tuition for veterans by amending definitions and clarifying database requirements for institutions.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 3679(c)(2)(A)

    less than three years before the date of enrollment in the course concerned

    The requirement for enrollment timing related to in-state tuition is removed.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 3679(c)(4)

    It shall → (A) It shall

    This change specifies the beginning of a new subparagraph for better clarity.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 3679(c)(4)

    (B) To the extent feasible, the Secretary shall make publicly available on the internet website of the Department a database explaining any requirements described in subparagraph (A) that are established by a public institution of higher learning for an individual to be charged tuition and fees at a rate that is equal to or less than the rate the institution charges for tuition and fees for residents of the State in which the institution is located. The Secretary shall disapprove a course of education provided by such an institution that does not provide the Secretary—(i) an initial explanation of such requirements; and (ii) not later than 90 days after the date on which any such requirements change, the updated requirements.

    A new subparagraph mandates the creation of a public database for tuition requirements and outlines penalties for noncompliance.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 545 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 3608 do?
This bill updates provisions related to in-state tuition, including by removing a deadline that prevents certain veterans from receiving in-state tuition, regardless of their state of residence, using Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits at public institutions of higher education.
Who sponsors HR 3608?
HR 3608 is sponsored by Luria, Elaine G. (Democratic) and Roe, David P. (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 3608?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 3608?
Track HR 3608 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HR 3608

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HR 3608

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →