McCarthy Fights to Fully Fund Innovative Education Options for Veterans
Press Release
Yesterday, Congressman Kevin McCarthy offered an amendment to prioritize fully funding the VET TEC Program in Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations legislation (H.R. 4502). The VET TEC Program was crafted and subsequently expanded by two pieces of legislation that McCarthy introduced in prior Congresses -- the VET TEC Act and the VET TEC Expansion Act. These bills, which were enacted into law as part of larger veterans' legislation, provide veterans using their GI benefits with greater access to non-traditional, technology-oriented educational courses.
Highlights of his speech on the House floor are below, or you can watch it in its entirety here.
"I was proud to introduce the original VET TEC Act in 2017, after learning that veterans could not utilize their GI Bill benefits for nontraditional, technology-oriented "nanodegree" courses
"From these conversations, the VET TEC pilot program, which allows veterans to apply for and enroll in nontraditional, technology-oriented classes, was born. Now, over two years into the five-year VET TEC pilot program, over 3,000 veterans have participated in it, with 90 percent of these veterans graduating from the program and 72 percent attaining employment in their chosen field of study
"These numbers paint a clear picture: VET TEC is both a popular and successful program, and I believe that Congress should fund this program at its fully authorized level of $45 million in Fiscal Year 2022, which my amendment seeks to do "
Background:
The Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) Program is currently authorized at $45 million per year through Fiscal Year 2023.
Congressman McCarthy's amendment to H.R. 4502 prioritizes funding the VET TEC program at its fully authorized level of $45 million in Fiscal Year 2022.
To learn more about the VET TEC program, click here.
The amendment is scheduled to be voted on as part of a broader package of other House amendments later this week.
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