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PRINTER'S NO. 1583
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1209
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY DEASY, READSHAW, COHEN, THOMAS, FREEMAN, V. BROWN,
BISHOP, HARKINS, HANNA, YOUNGBLOOD, O'BRIEN, DAVIDSON, MURT,
KORTZ, BIZZARRO, RAVENSTAHL, McNEILL, GOODMAN, SCHLOSSBERG,
SCHWEYER, BARBIN, CONKLIN, D. COSTA, GIBBONS, BROWNLEE, SIMS,
ROZZI AND McCARTER, MAY 13, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MAY 13, 2015
AN ACT
Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, providing for the Combat-to-College
Program.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
CHAPTER 88
COMBAT-TO-COLLEGE PROGRAM
Sec.
8801. Short title of chapter.
8802. Definitions.
8803. Student veterans program.
8804. Requirements.
8805. Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force.
8806. Private education institutions.
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8807. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
8808. Reporting provisions.
8809. Sunset provision.
§ 8801. Short title of chapter.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Combat-
to-College Program.
§ 8802. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Active military service." Active service in any of the
armed services or forces of the United States or of this
Commonwealth.
"Community college." An institution established and operated
under Article XIX-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.
"Department." The Department of Military and Veterans
Affairs.
"Private education institution." An institution within this
Commonwealth which is legally authorized to grant degrees or
career and technical certifications but which is not statutorily
established as an instrumentality of this Commonwealth nor a
State-related institution or community college.
"State higher education institution." A State system
institution, a State-related institution or a community college
located within this Commonwealth.
"State-related institution." Classification of a nonprofit
institution which is legally authorized to grant degrees, offers
needed, specified higher education services in the public
interest of the Commonwealth, is statutorily established as an
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instrumentality of this Commonwealth and receives a direct
annual Commonwealth appropriation.
"State system institution." A member university as provided
for in section 2002-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.
"Student veteran." Any person who is attending or planning
to attend a State higher education institution or private
education institution and is serving in the United States Armed
Forces, including a reserve component or National Guard, or
served in the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve
component or National Guard, and who was discharged or released
from service under conditions other than dishonorable.
"Task force." The Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force
established in section 8805 (relating to Statewide Combat-to-
College Task Force).
§ 8803. Student veterans program.
Every campus of a State higher education institution shall
provide the services and a coordinator described in section 8804
(relating to requirements) to help student veterans go from
combat-to-college in order to create a positive educational
environment for student veterans to successfully graduate from
universities and vocational degree programs while recognizing
the skills, training and experience associated with military
training.
§ 8804. Requirements.
(a) Requirements.--Each State higher education institution
shall do the following:
(1) For a campus that is not solely online, provide a
centralized geographic location on campus for student
veterans for admissions, class registration, financial aid
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administration and the coordinator under subsection (b) to
the extent that funds are available.
(2) Provide outreach, information and advocacy
assistance to student veterans to help ensure that they
receive reasonable accommodations for any disability pursuant
to the laws of the United States and this Commonwealth.
(3) Develop programs to provide academic and career
counseling specifically for student veterans that should
include, but not be limited to, peer mentoring and peer
support programs.
(4) Develop programs to provide reasonable access to
specialized mental health counseling services or resources
for student veterans.
(5) Develop job search assistance programs designed for
student veterans during student veterans' enrollment and for
at least two years following the student veteran's
graduation.
(6) Not charge an admissions or similar fee for student
veterans returning to the same education institution which
they attended prior to mobilization.
(7) Provide specific information on programs developed
or coordinated pursuant to this chapter, and other
information relevant to veterans, on the institution's
Internet website.
(8) Provide postsecondary credit to student veterans for
military training while serving in the armed forces or
National Guard if the American Council on Education
recommends that postsecondary credit should be provided for
military training or provide preadmission counseling to
provide a prospective student veteran a detailed analysis of
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what postsecondary credit will be accepted based on the
student veteran's military training.
(9) Provide student veterans an alternative status that
reflects mobilization rather than a "W" or withdrawn status
on student veterans' transcripts at the student veteran's
request in the event of a student veteran being called to
active Federal or State duty.
(10) Provide for community-based collaborations to allow
the private sector to support combat-to-college programs
through financial and in-kind gifts.
(b) Coordinator duties.--Each State higher education
institution shall designate a coordinator for each campus who
shall:
(1) Develop programs to promote a positive educational
environment for student veterans.
(2) Implement training programs for the staff relating
to identifying and assisting student veterans who may benefit
from the specialized services and resources developed or
coordinated pursuant to this chapter.
(3) Make recommendations to the institution's
administration and the task force concerning ways to improve
the education of student veterans.
(4) Coordinate access to stress management, counseling
programs and other resources available.
(5) Coordinate with the department to educate student
veterans about available Commonwealth programs.
(6) Coordinate with the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs to educate student veterans on available
Federal benefits, including work-study programs offered by
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
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(7) Coordinate activities, seminars and programs for
student veterans presented by veterans organizations.
(8) Coordinate campus activities and social events
designed for student veterans.
(9) Coordinate programs to assist student veterans in
locating employment and internships.
§ 8805. Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force.
(a) Establishment and composition.--A Statewide Combat-to-
College Task Force shall be established, consisting of 15
members serving four-year terms which shall include:
(1) Four members appointed by the Governor, one of whom
shall be from a State system institution, one of whom shall
be from a State-related institution, one of whom shall be
from a community college and one of whom shall be from a
private education institution that provides services
specified in section 8804 (relating to requirements) to its
student veterans.
(2) One member appointed by the Governor who serves on
the State Veterans' Commission.
(3) The Chairman of the Pennsylvania Higher Education
Assistance Agency or his designee.
(4) The Secretary of Education or his designee.
(5) The Adjutant General or his designee.
(6) Three members appointed by the Governor who are
student veteran or former student veteran representatives.
(7) One Senator appointed for a two-year term by the
President pro tempore of the Senate and one Senator appointed
for a two-year term by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one
member of the House of Representatives appointed for a two-
year term by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and
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one member of the House of Representatives appointed for a
two-year term by the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Vacancies.--Any vacancy on the task force shall be
filled by the original appointing officer.
(c) Duties.--
(1) Assess, refine and recommend improvements for
outreach services to provide veterans with necessary
information regarding postsecondary opportunities upon return
from service and develop best practices to help them graduate
from this Commonwealth's postsecondary education
institutions.
(2) Review and approve annual applications of State
higher education institutions that demonstrate compliance
with section 8804 in order to receive the "Combat-to-College
Certified" title.
(3) Review and approve annual applications from private
education institutions to receive a "Combat-to-College
Certified" title for voluntary compliance with this chapter.
(4) Promote partnerships with the Veterans'
Administration that help reduce out-of-pocket expenses to
student veterans.
(5) Assess gaps in student support and policy that may
exist at the Federal level, including the Government Issued
(GI) Bill and the Pell Grant Program, and recommend changes
in the Federal and State higher education financial
assistance programs to develop solutions to result in
unfettered access to postsecondary education opportunities.
(6) Provide ways to easily report accurate data on the
use and results of the programs authorized by this chapter.
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(7) Promote partnerships to provide financial resources
to help enable State higher education institutions and
private education institutions to meet the State standards
authorized in this chapter.
(8) Receive comments and testimony from student veterans
and others.
(9) Annually report to the General Assembly on the use
and results of the programs described in this chapter.
§ 8806. Private education institutions.
A private education institution shall be awarded an annual
"Combat-to-College Certified" status by the task force if the
private education institution voluntarily complies with State
standards for student veterans' programs as described in section
8804 (relating to requirements).
§ 8807. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
(a) Department assistance.--The department is authorized to
assist the task force in its duties.
(b) Funding.--The department is authorized to apply for
Federal and private funding for training, outreach and other
expenses to help enable State higher education institutions and
private education institutions meet the State standards
authorized in this chapter.
(c) Reports.--The department shall publish on its Internet
website the reports on information collected pursuant to
sections 8804 (relating to requirements), 8805 (relating to
Statewide Combat-to-College Task Force), 8806 (relating to
private education institutions) and 8808 (relating to reporting
provisions) along with any other information it deems useful to
assist student veterans.
§ 8808. Reporting provisions.
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Starting 90 days after the effective date of this chapter,
every State higher education institution and private education
institution voluntarily certified as "Combat-to-College" shall
annually report to the department and to the task force on
whether they offer the services described in section 8804
(relating to requirements) and the utilization and results of
the services authorized by this chapter.
§ 8809. Sunset provision.
This chapter shall sunset 15 years from the effective date of
this chapter.
Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) Sections 8803 and 8804 of Title 51 shall take effect
in one year.
(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60
days.
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