[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 106 (Monday, June 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5046-H5047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REDUCING CREDIT HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR EDITH NOURSE ROGERS STEM
SCHOLARSHIP
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2196) to amend title 38, United States Code, to reduce the
credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship
program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2196
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REDUCTION IN CREDIT HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR EDITH
NOURSE ROGERS STEM SCHOLARSHIP.
Section 3320(b)(4)(A)(i) of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by striking ``more than the standard 128 semester
(or 192 quarter) credit hours'' and inserting ``at least the
standard 120 semester (or 180 quarter) credit hours''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs.
Radewagen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2196.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2196, a bill to reduce the
credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship
program.
H.R. 2196 is a technical correction to the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM
Scholarship, which was codified into law with the passage of the Harry
W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also known as
the Forever GI Bill.
This STEM scholarship program, named after the former chairwoman of
the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Edith Nourse Rogers, provides
veterans who are enrolled in STEM programs with additional support if
their GI benefits are exhausted before they complete an undergraduate
degree.
Unfortunately, this much needed scholarship program is crippled by
the qualification criteria, which necessitates that veterans must be
enrolled in STEM programs that require more than 128 semester credit
hours to graduate.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, these criteria only
allow veterans enrolled in three programs at higher learning
institutions to participate in this great scholarship program.
Now, this was not the intent of the Congress. H.R. 2196 would correct
this oversight by reducing the required semester credit hours of a
degree program from 128 to 120, to allow more programs at a wider array
of institutions of higher learning to qualify for the program.
Now, veterans across the country are enrolling in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math based degree programs at rapid rates,
and we should continue to encourage veterans to pursue STEM programs
and employment in STEM fields.
By continuing to invest in our veterans, we are investing in the
American economy and our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Barr, Representative
Levin, and Ranking Member Roe for their hard work on this excellent
bill. I would especially like to thank Chairman Levin and the rest of
the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee for their bipartisan work to get
this bill to the floor in a timely fashion.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the rest of my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2196. This bill, which
is introduced by an outstanding new member of our committee,
Representative Barr of Kentucky, would clarify the eligibility for the
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program.
This program, enacted as part of the Forever GI Bill, authorizes
extra GI bill funding to help veterans complete their undergraduate
degrees in a STEM field.
{time} 1515
Mr. Speaker, we all know about the need to fill vacancies for high-
paying jobs in the STEM field. The Smithsonian Science Education Center
projected that, in 2018, 2.4 million STEM jobs went unfilled. This
program is critical to ensure that veterans are the ones who fill these
vacancies. However, because of the way the law was drafted, most
students are prevented from using this new benefit due to a technical
glitch that excludes all but a few STEM programs.
With this program going live on August 1, just over a month from now,
I am grateful to Representative Barr for quickly stepping up to the
plate and offering this bill to fix the law's language. Hopefully, with
cooperation from our friends in the Senate, we can make this change
before August.
I encourage all Members to support H.R. 2196.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Barr).
Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 2196,
which would amend the credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse
Rogers Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Scholarship program
and the Forever GI Bill, named after Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers,
who served 18 consecutive terms in Congress and was a tireless advocate
for veterans throughout the 21st century. This legislation follows the
spirit of this pioneering Congresswoman and ensures that our veterans
are able to access the benefits that they have earned.
The Rogers STEM Scholarship provides up to 9 months of additional
[[Page H5047]]
Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to qualifying veterans and Fry Scholars
seeking an undergraduate STEM degree or who have earned a STEM degree
and are seeking a teaching certification.
Our bill makes a necessary and timely change to the eligibility
requirement for the Rogers STEM Scholarship program from 128 required
credit hours to a much more common 120 credit-hour requirement.
After passage of the Forever GI Bill, the VA discovered that there
were only three States where the average STEM degree exceeds 128
required credit hours, meaning that the vast majority of veterans would
be unable to access this benefit.
This scholarship is set to launch August 1, as was recently said, of
this year, and it is incumbent on Congress to make this fix before then
to ensure that more student veterans pursuing STEM degrees are able to
utilize the additional funding Congress provided for them in the
Forever GI Bill.
I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Levin, for his
support in introducing this bill, as well as Ranking Member Roe and
Representative Radewagen for their cosponsorship as well.
This is a win-win. There is a labor supply shortage, especially in
critical STEM fields, and so employers need STEM-educated workers. At
the same time, there is no better group of people than veterans who
know teamwork, who know about putting a cause greater than themselves,
and who, in many cases, have skills that are particularly adaptive to
the STEM fields where this is a win for them, as well, in their
movement to civilian life.
I am proud to see this legislation pass by voice vote in our
committee, and I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation to ensure we are setting up our veterans for success and
job security after their service to our Nation.
Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Radewagen for
yielding to me, and I thank my friend, Mr. Barr, for his leadership on
this important issue.
We live in an information-based technological world. As we look
around us, all our lives are touched by STEM innovation. It is the
science- and math-based education that will continue to shape our
country and world and drive our economy into the next century.
H.R. 2196 is a commonsense, bipartisan fix to give student veterans
who are enrolled in STEM programs more flexibility to utilize the
educational benefits they earned through their service.
By allowing student veterans to take additional credit hours, such as
additional math and science courses, the Edith Nourse Rogers
Scholarship helps veterans receive a strong STEM education, which is
essential for succeeding in technological industries.
As I travel around my district in Pennsylvania, I consistently hear
from local businesses about the widening skills gap, and I know these
are sentiments echoed in districts throughout the Nation. Our workforce
demands more individuals with a STEM education, and who better to have
on the front lines of our evolving global economy than men and women
who bravely served our country.
We owe it to our student veterans the ability to pursue a STEM
education and to ensure they have the tools and resources they need as
they transition back into civilian life. This legislation takes an
important step in doing just that.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to vote in support of
this bill.
Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I want to urge my colleagues to support H.R.
2196, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Malinowski). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2196.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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