HR5436-119

Reported

To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit an educational institution from withholding a transcript from an individual who pursued a course or program of education at such institution using Post-9/11 educational assistance.

119th Congress Introduced Sep 17, 2025

Summary

What This Bill Does

This bill creates a new transcript-withholding protection for students who used Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance. It amends title 38 by adding section 3328, which says an educational institution may not withhold the transcript of an individual who attended a course or program using Post-9/11 educational assistance solely because that individual owes a debt to the institution.

The bill is narrow but concrete. It does not forgive the student's debt, regulate every transcript hold, or create a new grant program. It prevents schools from using transcript withholding as a collection tool against Post-9/11 GI Bill users when the only reason for the hold is institutional debt.

Who Benefits and How

Veterans using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits benefit because they can obtain transcripts even when they owe money to the school. Servicemembers, dependents, and other eligible GI Bill users benefit from the same protection when they need transcripts for transfer, employment, licensing, or further education. Employers and licensing boards benefit from better access to academic records. VA education benefits staff benefit from a clearer statutory protection to explain to schools and students.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Educational institutions that enroll Post-9/11 GI Bill students must stop withholding covered transcripts solely to collect institutional debt. Registrar offices must update transcript-hold practices for protected students. Campus billing offices lose leverage over unpaid balances when transcript withholding is the collection tool. Schools may need to distinguish transcript holds based only on debt from other legally permitted holds. Student accounts staff must coordinate with registrars before blocking records for GI Bill users.

Key Provisions

  • Adds new title 38 section 3328 on transcript withholding for Post-9/11 GI Bill users.
  • Prohibits schools from withholding a protected student's transcript solely because the student owes institutional debt.
  • Protects individuals who attended a course or program using Post-9/11 educational assistance.
  • Updates the chapter 33 table of sections to include the new transcript-withholding prohibition.

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Adds a title 38 prohibition barring educational institutions from withholding transcripts from students who used Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance solely because the student owes a debt to the institution.

Key Policy Areas

Veterans Affairs, Education, Consumer Protection

Primary Purpose

Adds a title 38 prohibition barring educational institutions from withholding transcripts from students who used Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance solely because the student owes a debt to the institution.

Policy Domains

Veterans Affairs Education Consumer Protection

House resolution provisions

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Veterans using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
  • Servicemembers using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
  • Dependents using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
  • Employers reviewing academic records
  • Licensing boards
  • VA education benefits staff
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Educational institutions enrolling GI Bill students
  • Registrar offices
  • Campus billing offices
  • Student accounts staff
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
May 14, 2026

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute …

May 14, 2026

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Feb 24, 2026

Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Feb 24, 2026

Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Jan 21, 2026

Subcommittee Hearings Held

Oct 1, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Sep 17, 2025

Introduced in House

Sep 17, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sep 17, 2025

Mr. Mannion (for himself and Mr. Moylan) introduced the following …

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Veterans Affairs Education Consumer Protection
Actor Mappings
"va"
→ Department of Veterans Affairs

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology