PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. James, John [R-MI-10] · R–MI
Legislative record
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Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Feb 4, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-24 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposal would let covered service members who receive covered-service orders arrange with their school to finish a course if they have completed at least half of it, alongside options to withdraw or take leave. It would also change veterans’ education compliance surveys, including when multiple campuses can complete one survey and how much notice institutions may receive. Veterans Affairs would have to notify all school certifying officials within 14 business days after updating their handbook.
(1) A covered member may, after receiving orders to enter a period of covered service— (A) withdraw from covered education; (B) take a leave of absence from covered education; or (C) subject to subsection (d), enter into an agreement with the institution concerned to complete a course of covered education to the satisfaction of such institution concerned.
A covered member may enter into an agreement under subsection (a) only if the covered member has completed at least half of a course of covered education.
the Secretary shall ensure that an educational institution or training establishment with multiple campuses is only required to complete one such survey if one school certifying official certifies veteran enrollment for all such campuses.
(1) in the case of an educational institution or training establishment with a time stamp database collection feature, not more than 15 business days of notice; and (2) in the case of any other educational institution or training establishment, not more than 10 business days of notice.
Not later than 14 business days after updating the school certifying official handbook of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide notice to all school certifying officials of such update.
Section 2 would replace the statutory list of options for covered members receiving covered-service orders with three choices: withdraw from covered education, take leave, or agree with the institution to complete a course to its satisfaction. The agreement option would require the member to have completed at least half the course.
Section 3691A of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and inserting the following: (1) A covered member may, after receiving orders to enter a period of covered service— (A) withdraw from covered education; (B) take a leave of absence from covered education; or (C) subject to subsection (d), enter into an agreement with the institution concerned to complete a course of covered education to the satisfaction of such institution concerned.
A covered member may enter into an agreement under subsection (a) only if the covered member has completed at least half of a course of covered education.
Section 2 would also add entering an agreement to an existing statutory provision that refers to taking a leave of absence. The surrounding provision is not reproduced, so this wording change alone does not establish all its consequences.
(b) Conforming amendment Such subsection is further amended, in paragraph (2)(A), by striking or takes a leave of absence and inserting , takes a leave of absence, or enters into an agreement.
For annual compliance surveys, Section 3 would require the Secretary to limit a school or training establishment with multiple campuses to one survey when one school certifying official certifies veteran enrollment for every campus.
(3) In conducting annual compliance surveys under this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that an educational institution or training establishment with multiple campuses is only required to complete one such survey if one school certifying official certifies veteran enrollment for all such campuses.
Section 3 would replace the existing 10-business-day notice ceiling with two ceilings: up to 15 business days for institutions or training establishments with a time stamp database collection feature, and up to 10 for others. These are maximum notice periods, not guarantees of that much notice.
(A) by striking not more than 10 business days of notice;
(1) in the case of an educational institution or training establishment with a time stamp database collection feature, not more than 15 business days of notice; and (2) in the case of any other educational institution or training establishment, not more than 10 business days of notice.
Section 3 would replace subsection (d) with definitions. It would use the definitions of educational institution and training establishment in section 3452 of title 38, and define a school certifying official as a school employee primarily responsible for certifying veteran enrollment. The current contents of subsection (d) and the referenced definitions are not supplied, so the full effect of this replacement cannot be determined.
(3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: (d) Definitions In this section: (1) The terms educational institution and training establishment have the meanings given such terms in section 3452 of this title. (2) The term school certifying official means an employee of an educational institution with primary responsibility for certifying veteran enrollment at the educational institution.
Section 4 would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify all school certifying officials within 14 business days after updating their handbook. Here too, those officials are school employees primarily responsible for certifying veteran enrollment.
Not later than 14 business days after updating the school certifying official handbook of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide notice to all school certifying officials of such update.
The term school certifying official means an employee of an educational institution with primary responsibility for certifying veteran enrollment at the educational institution.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated February 4, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on February 24, 2025; referral to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and hearings on March 10; and a subcommittee markup and forwarding to the full committee, amended, by voice vote on April 9. The amended text is not included in this bundle.
Source snapshot updated 2026-02-04T05:06:17Z. 2025-04-09: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote. 2025-04-09: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held 2025-03-10: Subcommittee Hearings Held 2025-03-10: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. 2025-02-24: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 2025-02-24: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-24. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials, and the source set cannot establish formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains conditional compliance benefits for specified groups. These relate to the main policy; their classification does not establish improper favoritism.
Schools and training establishments with multiple campuses would receive a one-survey limit if a single school certifying official certifies veteran enrollment across all campuses. This conditional limit benefits a defined subset of institutions within the bill’s veterans’ education compliance policy.
(3) In conducting annual compliance surveys under this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that an educational institution or training establishment with multiple campuses is only required to complete one such survey if one school certifying official certifies veteran enrollment for all such campuses.
Institutions and training establishments with a time stamp database collection feature could receive up to 15 business days of notice, compared with a 10-business-day ceiling for others. Within the bill’s compliance-survey policy, this provides a higher permissible notice ceiling for a specified group, without guaranteeing longer notice.
(1) in the case of an educational institution or training establishment with a time stamp database collection feature, not more than 15 business days of notice; and (2) in the case of any other educational institution or training establishment, not more than 10 business days of notice.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Feb 4, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI