McCarthy Testifies in Support of VET-TEC Expansion Act

Today, Congressman Kevin McCarthy testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on his bill, the VET-TEC Expansion Act. In our ever-changing workforce, this legislation would continue to give our nation's heroes access to non-traditional educational courses to help them succeed in tomorrow's job market and beyond.

Highlights of the speech are below, or you can watch here.

"Chairman Levin, Ranking Member Bilirakis, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and discuss legislation that Congressman Khanna and I introduced: the VET-TEC Expansion Act.

"In 2017, after visiting Udacity, an innovative non-traditional educational provider, I was struck by the potential of non-traditional educational courses for today's evolving workforce. Following that visit, I thought about how these types of courses could benefit our nation's veterans--the brave men and women who often re-enter civilian life with highly-specialized skills and experience. I was surprised to learn that, at that time, there were no existing VA programs allowing veterans to use their benefits to take non-traditional educational courses as a means to achieve gainful employment upon leaving military service.

"I introduced the original VET-TEC Act in early 2017 and President Trump signed it into law that summer...

"Since being implemented, the VET-TEC Pilot Program has produced several success stories and has provided veterans with more freedom to decide what and how they would like to learn. I am encouraged by this, but have also considered feedback on the program from veterans and providers who have participated in it. This is why I have introduced the VET-TEC Expansion Act, a bill to expand the VET-TEC Pilot Program.

"This bill would allow the VA to accept more course providers into the VET-TEC program by reducing the amount of time that a provider must successfully operate a course from two-years to one-year...

"The bill would also allow the VA to accept education providers that offer part-time courses, such as night classes, into the VET-TEC Pilot Program. Education is not one-size-fits all, and I believe that the VET-TEC Pilot Program should be expanded to accommodate working veterans who are looking to make a career change or add to their resume.

"Lastly, this bill would allow active-duty servicemembers, who are on terminal leave, to get a jumpstart on their lives as veterans by enabling them to apply to participate in the VET-TEC Pilot Program. By allowing transitioning servicemembers to utilize the VET-TEC Pilot Program, more servicemembers will have the opportunity to transition to veteran life with a job already secured...

"The VET-TEC Expansion Act builds on the success of the original law by expanding choice for veterans in a dynamic, technology-centric economy...

"As I have often said, you can tell a lot about the character of a nation by how it treats its veterans. I believe that veterans know best when it comes to their own education and workforce needs, which is why I am proud to introduce this legislation with my colleague that is both responsive to veterans' desires for expanded choice and today's ever-changing economy.

"Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.""

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