Penn State officials and students said a bill moving through Congress that would expand scholarship money for student veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan would give veteran students at Penn State the benefits they deserve.

The bill, Senate Bill 3447, was passed by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Thursday and is on its way to the full Senate for a vote.

That vote has not yet been scheduled.

The law would expand the number of veterans eligible for scholarship money under the post-9/11 “G.I. Bill” — a program meant to provide educational benefits for returning veterans — and would broaden the number of career paths they could take under the program.

“I think it’s a positive,” said Brian Clark, director of the Penn State Office of Veterans Programs. “It’s going to allow for students to be able to pursue a greater range of academic opportunities.”

The bill would allow veterans to take classes at institutions other than accredited universities, which Clark said would open up new educational opportunities for veterans, like vocational or professional schools.

Clark said about 2,500 Penn State students are veterans. But only students who have served in the military post-9/11 would be eligible for the benefits included in the bill, he said.

About 80 percent of the Pennsylvania National Guard has been activated for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, Clark said, and the majority of those guardsmen will be eligible for some benefits under the post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Clark said veterans must serve three years of active duty to receive the full benefits under the law.

John Hench, Class of 2010, is an Iraq War veteran and said any expansion of veterans’ benefits is a step in the right direction.

“If someone’s willing to give that much for the country, it’s definitely nice when the country turns around and gives you that favor back,” Hench said.

Hench said it would be an extra benefit under the bill if veterans could get training outside of universities in careers as electricians or pilots.

“There are career paths that you can take that aren’t necessarily through college,” he said.

The bill would also allow veterans to transfer their benefits to other family members and allow the veterans to spend tuition money on distance learning, according to the bill’s text.

Sen. Daniel Akaka. D-Hawaii, sponsored the bill. His office did not return calls for comment by press time Tuesday.