H.R. 1573: Military and Educational Data Integration Act (119th Congress) Bill Summary

The Military and Educational Data Integration Act aims to create a process for sharing certain demographic data about members of the Armed Forces with State educational agencies. This data sharing is intended to help educational agencies gain insights about individuals who graduated from high school and later served in the military. Here are the key components of the bill:

Establishment of Data Sharing Process

The bill requires the Secretaries of the branches of the Armed Forces, in consultation with the Secretary of Education and relevant educational agencies, to establish a data sharing process within 18 months of the bill's enactment. This process will allow state educational agencies to:

Access personal data on individuals who graduated high school in the corresponding state.
Integrate this data into state-wide data systems or alternate systems operated by the states.

Data Descriptions

Data to be shared may include information regarding:

Members of the Armed Forces who graduated from secondary school, such as:

Highest level of education attained.
Name and location of the educational institution attended.
Name and location of the secondary school graduated from.
Score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
Date of joining the Armed Forces.
Branch of service.
Rank.
Military occupational specialty or area of expertise.
Date of separation from service, if applicable.
Any other relevant information deemed appropriate by the Secretary concerned.

Individuals whose applications to join the Armed Forces were denied, which may include similar data points listed above, such as education, test scores, and school details.

Privacy and Data Security

The bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining confidentiality and security of the transmitted data:

Data sharing will occur confidentially and in accordance with the latest data security standards.
Those handling the data must protect individual privacy, adhering to relevant federal, state, and local laws.
Each Secretary involved and state educational agencies are required to implement effective data security practices, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the data and protecting it from unauthorized access.

Definitions

In this section, key terms are defined to clarify the bill's intent:

The term "Secretary concerned" refers to the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Definitions for "local educational agency," "secondary school," and "State educational agency" align with those provided in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.