Floor Situation

H.R. 1172 is being considered under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds vote for passage. The legislation was introduced by Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) on February 25, 2009.

Bill Summary

H.R. 1172 would require that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) include information regarding the following on their website:

• A list of organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors, and for each such organization, a link to the Internet website of the organization;
• A statement that the information is not an all-inclusive list of scholarships available to veterans and their survivors; and
• A statement that the Secretary has not verified the information available on the Internet websites of the organization referred to and that the Secretary does not endorse any offer made by any sponsor.

The bill also requires that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs make a reasonable effort to notify schools and other appropriate entities of the opportunity to be included in the Internet webside of the VA.

 

Background

While the VA website already contains information for veterans and their families, this bill seeks to expand the information made available for them. The “Pat Tillman Veterans’ Scholarship Initiative” is named after the former NFL player who was killed on active duty while serving in Afghanistan. The Tillman family founded the Pat Tillman Foundation to inspire people to make positive changes in themselves and in the world around them. The Foundation has been instrumental in this legislation.

Cost

CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have no significant impact on the federal budget.