Patriots Over Politics Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3619 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3619

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to provide for an opportunity for members of the Armed 
Forces who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated for refusing to 
     receive a COVID-19 vaccination to transfer the entitlement to 
      educational assistance of such members to their dependents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 29, 2025

Mr. Barrett (for himself, Mr. Harrigan, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. Murphy, Mr. 
  Begich, Mr. Goldman of Texas, Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona, Mr. Moore of 
  North Carolina, Mr. Onder, Mr. Downing, Mr. Luttrell, Mr. Self, Mr. 
Nunn of Iowa, and Mr. Bergman) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to provide for an opportunity for members of the Armed 
Forces who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated for refusing to 
     receive a COVID-19 vaccination to transfer the entitlement to 
      educational assistance of such members to their dependents.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Patriots Over Politics Act''.

SEC. 2. OPPORTUNITY OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO TRANSFER 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL 
              ASSISTANCE.

    Section 3319 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) Discharge for Refusal To Receive COVID-19 Vaccination.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, during the 90-day period beginning on the date of the 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall allow a 
        covered eligible individual to transfer to an eligible 
        dependent under this section the entitlement to educational 
        assistance of the individual as of the date on which such 
        individual was separated from the Armed Forces.
            ``(2) Commencement of use.--Notwithstanding subsection 
        (g)(2)(A), in the case of entitlement transferred to a child 
        under this subsection, the child may commence the use of the 
        transferred entitlement after the completion by the individual 
        making the transfer of at least six years of service in the 
        Armed Forces.
            ``(3) Covered eligible individual.--In this subsection, a 
        covered eligible individual is an individual described in 
        subsection (b) who during the period beginning on August 24, 
        2021, and ending on January 10, 2023, was involuntarily or 
        voluntarily separated from an Armed Force solely on the basis 
        of the refusal of such individual to receive a vaccination 
        against COVID-19.''.
                                 <all>