Cornyn Bill to Broaden GI Benefits for Veterans in STEM Fields Becomes Law

Statement

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after President Trump signed his Veteran STEM Scholarship Improvement Act, a bill to help veterans take full advantage of the scholarship provided to veterans studying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM fields), into law.

"With this new law, we're opening the door for veterans to pursue meaningful careers in increasingly high-demand STEM fields," said Sen. Cornyn. "I thank President Trump for his commitment to veterans, and I encourage veterans to take full advantage of the new opportunities this law offers."

Background:

The Nourse STEM Scholarship, created by the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 and supported by Sen. Cornyn, provides an additional nine months or $30,000 of GI Bill eligibility to student veterans pursing a STEM degree. Current law mandates that eligible STEM programs exceed 128 required credit hours; however, most programs in the United States and the average STEM degree program in Texas require less than 128 credit hours. This bill would reduce that requirement in the Nourse STEM Scholarship to reflect that STEM programs should exceed 120 required credit hours so that more veterans are able to take advantage of the scholarship.

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