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Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022

Public Law 117-333 · H.R. 7939 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jan 5, 2023 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49)

Cosponsors (3): Rep. Nancy Mace,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 380 yea, 35 nay380–35
  • SenateUnanimous consent
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022

This act modifies provisions related to programs and benefits for veterans, including by providing permanent authority for the application of certain flexibilities to assist veterans with their educational assistance benefits during emergency situations. An emergency situation is defined as a situation that the President declares as an emergency and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines is an emergency for purposes of the laws it administers.

Specifically, the act extends certain program adjustments that were implemented during the COVID-19 emergency (including adjustments made in the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020) to other emergency situations that may arise and have an effect on veterans and their educational assistance benefits.

Among other flexibilities, the act (1) authorizes the VA to continue to provide educational assistance, including monthly housing stipends or subsistence allowances, for programs of education that have been converted to distance learning due to an emergency or health-related situation; and (2) extends the time limitation for using educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill, Post-9/11 GI Bill, or vocational rehabilitation program when institutions are closed due to an emergency situation or executive order.

Due to an emergency situation, the VA is authorized to

• extend by two months the payment of vocational rehabilitation subsistence allowances,

• continue paying work-study allowances and extend work-study agreements, and

• continue paying educational assistance and subsistence allowances for a specified amount of time for programs of education that are suspended or closed.

This act also adjusts the administration of certain benefits for veterans participating in an apprenticeship or other on-job training during an emergency situation, including by proportionately reducing the 120-hour monthly training requirement to reflect an individual's period of unemployment without a reduction in training assistance.

An educational assistance payment shall not be charged against an individual's entitlement to educational assistance if an individual was unable to complete a course or program due to the temporary closure of an educational institution or the temporary termination of a program by reason of an emergency situation.

The act provides the requirements that must be met for a study-abroad course to be approved for purposes of VA educational assistance.

The act provides eligibility for Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance for individuals, including officers, who are discharged or released from active duty with a sole survivorship discharge following at least 30 continuous days on qualifying active duty after September 10, 2001.

The VA must partner with state approving agencies, educational institutions, and training establishments to require the use of a uniform application for the VA's course approval process. The uniform application must be developed by October 1, 2023, and be required for the approval of any new course of education proposed on or after that day.

The act provides notice requirements for VA education surveys. Specifically, the VA or a state approving agency must provide not more than one business day of notice to an educational institution before conducting a targeted risk-based survey. The VA or state approving agency must provide not more than 10 business days of notice to an educational institution or training establishment before conducting a compliance survey.

Under the act, educational institutions are excepted from the requirement to verify the enrollment of certain individuals who are receiving VA educational assistance (e.g., individuals who are enrolled in a program on at least a full-time basis before they are able to withdraw from the course without penalty).

The act expands eligibility for self-employment assistance under the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program to include certain veterans who have a service-connected disability or employment handicap in addition to those with the most severe service-connected disabilities.

The VA must report on possible definitions for student services, marketing, and classroom instruction for purposes of VA educational assistance.

The act extends through November 30, 2031, certain limitations on pension payments to veterans who have no dependents and are being furnished domiciliary care by the VA.

The act authorizes a servicemember to terminate specified contracts (e.g., contracts for commercial mobile service or internet service) that are entered into in relation to military orders for a permanent change of station if the member then receives a stop movement order in response to a local, national, or global emergency which prevents the member from using the services provided under the contract.

The act provides that a spouse of a servicemember may retain their personal residence or domicile for purposes of taxation. Under the act, a servicemember and the spouse of the member are authorized to elect to use the following locations for purposes of taxation:

• the residence or domicile of the member,

• the residence or domicile of the spouse, or

• the permanent duty station of the member.

The act provides for the portability of professional licenses of servicemembers and their spouses who are relocated, because of military orders, outside of the jurisdiction that issued the license.

The act authorizes the VA to provide non-articulating trailers (adaptive equipment) to veterans with specified disabilities or diseases incurred or aggravated due to their military service.

The act authorizes the VA to provide (or assist in providing) an eligible veteran or servicemember with an additional automobile or other conveyance under the VA automobile allowance and adaptive equipment program if (1) more than 30 years have elapsed since the person last received such benefit; or (2) beginning 10 years after the date of this act, if more than 10 years have elapsed since the person last received such benefit.

Finally, the act includes certain vehicle modifications (e.g., van lifts) under the definition of medical services for VA health care purposes.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 380 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

380 yea35 nay15 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(213)

Republicans who voted yea(167)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 993 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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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.

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Related bills

5 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 4702Related bill

    Military Spouse Tax Act

  • H.R. 7074Related bill

    Quality Education for Veterans Act of 2022

  • H.R. 7369Related bill

    VENTURE Act

  • H.R. 7746Related bill

    Sgt. Wolf Kyle Weninger Veterans Education Fairness Act of 2022

  • H.Res. 1339Related bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 302) to impose limits on excepting competitive service positions from the competitive service, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2988) to…

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 26 actions.

  1. Jan 5, 2023Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-333.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 28, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 22, 2022Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 380 - 35 (Roll no. 546).House roll call 546
  6. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 380 - 35 (Roll no. 546).House roll call 546
  7. Dec 21, 2022Resolving differencesResolving differences · 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.
  8. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Takano moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment to H.R. 7939.
  10. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  11. Dec 20, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  12. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  13. Sep 15, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  14. Sep 14, 2022FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 11 of H. Res. 1339, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1468, as amended; H.R. 5865; H.R. 5916, as amended; H.R. 7735, as amended; H.R. 7846; H.R. 7939, as amended; H.R. 8260, as amended; and S. …
  15. FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 11 of H. Res. 1339, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1468, as amended; H.R. 5865; H.R. 5916, as amended; H.R. 7735, as amended; H.R. 7846; H.R. 7939, as amended; H.R…
  16. FloorFloor · Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1339, proceedings on H.R. 7939 are considered vacated.
  17. Sep 13, 2022FloorFloor · 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.
  18. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 7939.
  19. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  20. FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  21. Jul 19, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  23. Jul 18, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Discharged.
  24. Jun 13, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
  25. Jun 3, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and 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 conc…
  26. 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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 6578SenateSen. Jerry MoranR-KS· offered Dec 20, 2022Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Dec 20, 2022: Amendment SA 6578 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.