1Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania
2Consolidated Statutes, providing for the Combat-to-College
3Program.

4The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5hereby enacts as follows:

6Section 1. Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
7Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:

8CHAPTER 88

9COMBAT-TO-COLLEGE PROGRAM

10Sec.

118801. Short title of chapter.

128802. Definitions.

138803. Student veterans program.

148804. Requirements.

158805. Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force.

168806. Private education institutions.

178807. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

18808. Reporting provisions.

28809. Sunset provision.

3§ 8801. Short title of chapter.

4This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Combat-
5to-College Program.

6§ 8802. Definitions.

7The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
8shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
9context clearly indicates otherwise:

10"Active military service." Active service in any of the
11armed services or forces of the United States or of this
12Commonwealth.

13"Community college." An institution established and operated
14under Article XIX-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
15No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.

16"Department." The Department of Military and Veterans
17Affairs.

18"Private education institution." An institution within this
19Commonwealth which is legally authorized to grant degrees or
20career and technical certifications but which is not statutorily
21established as an instrumentality of this Commonwealth nor a
22State-related institution or community college.

23"State higher education institution." A State system
24institution, a State-related institution or a community college
25located within this Commonwealth.

26"State-related institution." Classification of a nonprofit
27institution which is legally authorized to grant degrees, offers
28needed, specified higher education services in the public
29interest of the Commonwealth, is statutorily established as an
30instrumentality of this Commonwealth and receives a direct

1annual Commonwealth appropriation.

2"State system institution." A member university as provided
3for in section 2002-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
4No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.

5"Student veteran." Any person who is attending or planning
6to attend a State higher education institution or private
7education institution and is serving in the United States Armed
8Forces, including a reserve component or National Guard, or
9served in the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve
10component or National Guard, and who was discharged or released
11from service under conditions other than dishonorable.

12"Task force." The Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force
13established in section 8805 (relating to Statewide Combat-to-
14College Task Force).

15§ 8803. Student veterans program.

16Every campus of a State higher education institution shall
17provide the services and a coordinator described in section 8804
18(relating to requirements) to help student veterans go from
19combat-to-college in order to create a positive educational
20environment for student veterans to successfully graduate from
21universities and vocational degree programs while recognizing
22the skills, training and experience associated with military
23training.

24§ 8804. Requirements.

25(a) Requirements.--Each State higher education institution
26shall do the following:

27(1) For a campus that is not solely online, provide a
28centralized geographic location on campus for student
29veterans for admissions, class registration, financial aid
30administration and the coordinator under subsection (b) to

1the extent that funds are available.

2(2) Provide outreach, information and advocacy
3assistance to student veterans to help ensure that they
4receive reasonable accommodations for any disability pursuant
5to the laws of this Commonwealth and the United States.

6(3) Develop programs to provide academic and career
7counseling specifically for student veterans that should
8include, but not be limited to, peer mentoring and peer
9support programs.

10(4) Develop programs to provide reasonable access to
11specialized mental health counseling services or resources
12for student veterans.

13(5) Develop job search assistance programs designed for
14student veterans during student veterans' enrollment and for
15at least two years following the student veterans'
16graduation.

17(6) Not charge an admissions or similar fee for student
18veterans returning to the same education institution which
19they attended prior to mobilization.

20(7) Provide specific information on programs developed
21or coordinated pursuant to this chapter, and other
22information relevant to veterans, on the institution's
23website.

24(8) Provide postsecondary credit to student veterans for
25military training while serving in the armed forces or
26National Guard if the American Council of Education
27recommends that postsecondary credit should be provided for
28military training or provide preadmission counseling to
29provide a prospective student veteran a detailed analysis of
30what postsecondary credit will be accepted based on the

1student veterans' military training.

2(9) Provide student veterans an alternative status that
3reflects mobilization rather than a "W" or withdrawn status
4on student veterans transcripts at the student veterans'
5request in the event of a student veteran being called to
6active Federal or State duty.

7(10) Provide for community-based collaborations to allow
8the private sector to support combat-to-college programs
9through financial and in-kind gifts.

10(b) Coordinator duties.--Each State higher education
11institution shall designate a coordinator for each campus who
12shall:

13(1) Develop programs to promote a positive educational
14environment for student veterans.

15(2) Implement training programs for the staff relating
16to identifying and assisting student veterans who may benefit
17from the specialized services and resources developed or
18coordinated pursuant to this chapter.

19(3) Make recommendations to the institution's
20administration and the task force concerning ways to improve
21the education of student veterans.

22(4) Coordinate access to stress management, counseling
23programs and other resources available.

24(5) Coordinate with the department to educate student
25veterans about available Commonwealth programs.

26(6) Coordinate with the United States Department of
27Veterans Affairs to educate student veterans on available
28Federal benefits, including work-study programs offered by
29the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

30(7) Coordinate activities, seminars and programs for

1student veterans presented by veterans organizations.

2(8) Coordinate campus activities and social events
3designed for student veterans.

4(9) Coordinate programs to assist student veterans in
5locating employment and internships.

6§ 8805. Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force.

7(a) Establishment and composition.--A Statewide Combat-to-
8College Task Force shall be established, consisting of 15
9members serving four-year terms which shall include:

10(1) Four members appointed by the Governor, one of whom
11shall be from a State system institution, one of whom shall
12be from a State-related institution, one of whom shall be
13from a community college and one of whom shall be from a
14private education institution that provides services
15specified in section 8804 (relating to requirements) to its
16student veterans.

17(2) One member appointed by the Governor who serves on
18the State Veterans' Commission.

19(3) The Chairman of the Pennsylvania Higher Education
20Assistance Agency or his designee.

21(4) The Secretary of Education or his designee.

22(5) The Adjutant General or his designee.

23(6) Three members appointed by the Governor who are
24student veteran or former student veteran representatives.

25(7) One Senator appointed for a two-year term by the
26President pro tempore of the Senate and one Senator appointed
27for a two-year term by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one
28member of the House of Representatives appointed for a two-
29year term by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and
30one member of the House of Representatives appointed for a

1two-year term by the Minority Leader of the House of
2Representatives.

3(b) Vacancies.--Any vacancy on the task force shall be
4filled by the original appointing officer.

5(c) Duties.--

6(1) Assess, refine and recommend improvements for
7outreach services to provide veterans with necessary
8information regarding postsecondary opportunities upon return
9from service and develop best practices to help them graduate
10from this Commonwealth's postsecondary education
11institutions.

12(2) Review and approve annual applications of State
13higher education institutions that demonstrate compliance
14with section 8804 in order to receive the "Combat-to-College
15Certified" title.

16(3) Review and approve annual applications from private
17education institutions to receive a "Combat-to-College
18Certified" title for voluntary compliance with this chapter.

19(4) Promote partnerships with the Veterans'
20Administration that help reduce out-of-pocket expenses to
21student veterans.

22(5) Assess gaps in student support and policy that may
23exist at the Federal level, including the Government Issued
24(GI) Bill and the Pell Grant program, and recommend changes
25in the Federal and State higher education financial
26assistance programs to develop solutions to result in
27unfettered access to postsecondary education opportunities.

28(6) Provide ways to easily report accurate data on the
29use and results of the programs authorized by this chapter.

30(7) Promote partnerships to provide financial resources

1to help enable State higher education institutions and
2private education institutions to meet the State standards
3authorized in this chapter.

4(8) Receive comments and testimony from student veterans
5and others.

6(9) Annually report to the General Assembly on the use
7and results of the programs described in this chapter.

8§ 8806. Private education institutions.

9A private education institution shall be awarded an annual
10"Combat-to-College Certified" status by the task force if the
11private education institution voluntarily complies with State
12standards for student veterans programs as described in section
138804 (relating to requirements).

14§ 8807. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

15(a) Department assistance.--The department is authorized to
16assist the task force in its duties.

17(b) Funding.--The department is authorized to apply for
18Federal and private funding for training, outreach and other
19expenses to help enable State higher education institutions and
20private education institutions meet the State standards
21authorized in this chapter.

22(c) Reports.--The department shall publish on the Internet
23the reports on information collected pursuant to sections 8804
24(relating to requirements), 8805 (relating to Statewide Combat-
25to-College Task Force), 8806 (relating to private education
26institutions) and 8808 (relating to reporting provisions) along
27with any other information it deems useful to assist student
28veterans.

29§ 8808. Reporting provisions.

30Starting 90 days after the effective date of this chapter,

1every State higher education institution and private education
2institution voluntarily certified as "Combat-to-College" shall
3annually report to the department and to the task force on
4whether they offer the services described in section 8804
5(relating to requirements) and the utilization and results of
6the services authorized by this chapter.

7§ 8809. Sunset provision.

8This chapter shall sunset 15 years from the effective date of
9this chapter.

10Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:

11(1) Sections 8803 and 8804 of Title 51 shall take effect
12in one year.

13(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60
14days.