THRIVE Act
Public Law 117-16 · H.R. 2523 · 117th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jun 8, 2021 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Mike Bost
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This bill makes updates to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) training and education policies and programs, including by amending the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
(Sec. 2) In implementing the VA's rapid retraining assistance program, the list of high-demand occupations must be prepared in conjunction with the Department of Labor. The VA may add and remove occupations as appropriate.
The bill excludes programs pursued solely through distance learning on a half-time basis or less from the housing stipend available to those participating in the retraining program.
The VA must contact program participants to notify them about employment placement services after they begin the program and upon either completion of the program or termination of participation in the program.
The VA must seek to enter a memorandum of understanding with one or more qualified nonprofit organizations for the purpose of facilitating the employment of veterans who participate in the program.
The Government Accountability Office must report on the outcomes and effectiveness of the retraining program.
(Sec. 3) The VA must provide veterans and members of the Armed Forces with information about whether (1) a postsecondary education institution is listed on the College Navigator website as being affiliated with a certain religion, (2) an institution is minority serving, and (3) an institution is gender-specific. The VA must provide information about postsecondary education and training opportunities in a searchable format.
(Sec. 5) The bill includes for-profit educational institutions that are converted to public educational institutions in the annual risk-based survey the state approving agency must conduct.
(Sec. 6) The VA must take certain disciplinary action when any person with whom an educational institution has an agreement for marketing, advertising, educational programs, recruiting, or admissions services engages in specified behaviors, such as providing a type of incentive payment to persons engaged in student recruiting. Under the bill, such disciplinary actions may include suspending the approval of courses and programs offered by the institution or revoking the approval of courses and programs.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2492Related bill
GIVE Act
H.Res. 330Related bill
Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 51) to provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1573) to clarify the rights of all persons wh…
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Jun 8, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-16.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 7, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 28, 2021FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 22, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Apr 20, 2021FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 6 of H. Res. 330, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 367; H.R. 370; H.R. 396; H.R. 397, as amended; H.R. 408; H.R. 490; H.R. 965, as amended; H.R. 1251, as amended; H.R. 1395; H.R. 1491; H.R. 15…
- FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 6 of H. Res. 330, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 367; H.R. 370; H.R. 396; H.R. 397, as amended; H.R. 408; H.R. 490; H.R. 965, as amended; H.R. 1251, as amended; H.…
- FloorFloor · Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 330, proceedings on H.R. 2523 are considered vacated.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2523.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 19, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
- Apr 14, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.