The Departments of Education, Military and Veterans Affairs in Pennsylvania have introduced a new policy to reduce processing times for veterans, active military personnel and their spouses who apply for a teacher license.

Reps. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-New York) and Pam DeLissio (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) are currently working to turn House Bill 2078 into law after the House Education Committee passed the policy, the state announced Monday.

“This policy will ease and accelerate the transition for our veterans, military members, and their spouses when they head back into Pennsylvania schools,” said Pedro Rivera, Secretary of Education.

The policy aims to lower the overall cost and expedite the process of applying for teacher certifications for veterans, military members and their spouses when they return to the state after serving elsewhere.

The Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education worked over the past year to formulate the policy, which requires that an applicant must have served at least 180 days of active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces or must have a certificate of honorable dismissal.

Furthermore, applicants must also meet Pennsylvania’s certification requirements.

Active military members, veterans and spouses can apply for a teacher license through the online Teacher Information Management System.

 

A draft report by the House Appropriations Committee says an appropriations bill that would authorize $19.5 billion in total budget for NASA for fiscal year 2017 would not allocate any funds for the Asteroid Redirect Mission, Space News reported Monday.

Jeff Foust writes the House committee released the report Monday ahead of the scheduled May 24 markup of the FY 2017 commerce, justice and science spending bill.

The House committee noted that the bill would provide $1.8 billion in budget for planetary science programs, including $260 million in funds to support a mission to planet Jupiter’s Europa moon, Foust reports.

The proposed legislation also includes additional funds for NASA’s Orion program and Space Launch System and would authorize $1.69 billion for Earth science initiatives and $75 million for deep space habitats, according to Space News.

The governments of the U.S. and Vietnam have signed an administrative pact under a peaceful uses of nuclear energy deal known as the 123 Agreement to support both countries’ clean energy cooperation in the civil nuclear field.

The White House said Tuesday the two nations will work to accomplish tasks such as the construction of new institutional connections, develop training and education strategies and promote both regulatatory infrastructure and bilateral civil nuclear trade.

The alliance also looks to establish a new U.S.-Vietnam Joint Committee on Civil Nuclear Cooperation that will handle the implementation of the 123 Agreement along with cooperation on information sharing from both government and private sectors.

Both countries will also update export controls, secure and track nuclear and radiological materials, build incidence response capacity and develop public-private education support for Vietnamese officials in nuclear science and engineering and other related programs.