19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–585 

VETERAN SKILLS TO JOBS ACT 

JULY 9, 2012.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. ISSA, from the Committee on Oversight and Government 

Reform, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4155] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 4155) to direct the head of each Federal 

department and agency to treat relevant military training as sufficient to satisfy training or certification requirements for Federal licenses, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with 

an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Committee Statement and Views ........................................................................... 2 

Section-by-Section .................................................................................................... 3 

Explanation of Amendments ................................................................................... 3 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 3 

Rollcall Votes ............................................................................................................ 3 

Application of Law to the Legislative Branch ....................................................... 3 

Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee ...... 3 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 4 

Federal Advisory Committee Act ............................................................................ 4 

Unfunded Mandate Statement ............................................................................... 4 

Committee Estimate ................................................................................................ 4 

Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .................... 4 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Skills to Jobs Act’’. 

SEC. 2. CONSIDERATION OF RELEVANT MILITARY TRAINING FOR ISSUANCE OF A FEDERAL 

LICENSE. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of each Federal licensing authority shall consider and 

may accept, in the case of any individual applying for a license, any relevant trainVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:13 Jul 10, 2012 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6621 E:\HR\OC\HR585.XXX HR585

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1Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, Employment status of the civilian population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and sex, not 

seasonally adjusted, June 2012, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t05.htm. 2Defense Business Board, Task Group, Employing Our Veterans: Expediting Transition 

Through Concurrent Credentialing, April 19, 2012, http://dbb.defense.gov/pdf/DBB_Concurrent_ 

Credentialing_Post_Meeting_Brief.pdf. 

ing received by such individual while serving as a member of the armed forces, for 

the purpose of satisfying the requirements for such license. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act— 

(1) the term ‘‘license’’ means a license, certification, or other grant of permission to engage in a particular activity; 

(2) the term ‘‘Federal licensing authority’’ means a department, agency, or 

other entity of the Government having authority to issue a license; 

(3) the term ‘‘armed forces’’ has the meaning given such term by section 

2101(2) of title 5, United States Code; and 

(4) the term ‘‘Government’’ means the Government of the United States. 

SEC. 3. REGULATIONS. 

The head of each Federal licensing authority shall— 

(1) with respect to any license a licensing authority grants or is empowered 

to grant as of the date of enactment of this Act, prescribe any regulations necessary to carry out this Act not later than 180 days after such date; and 

(2) with respect to any license of a licensing authority not constituted or not 

empowered to grant the license as of the date of enactment of this Act, prescribe 

any regulations necessary to carry out this Act not later than 180 days after 

the date on which the agency is so constituted or empowered, as the case may 

be. 

COMMITTEE STATEMENT AND VIEWS

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 4155 ensures that any relevant military training of a veteran is taken into account when he applies for a Federal occupational license. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

After 40 months with the unemployment rate above 8 percent, 

we must do more to create jobs. Veterans who have served in the 

military since September 11, 2001, face an unemployment rate of 

12.7 percent.1 With one million men and women projected to leave 

the armed forces over the next five years, this problem becomes 

more urgent if not addressed. We must better support our veterans 

as they transition to the civilian workforce. H.R. 4155 will help our 

veterans return to work more quickly by ensuring that training 

they received while a member of the Armed Forces is considered 

when they apply for a Federal license. 

While most occupational licenses are issued by the States, the 

Federal government does grant a number of licenses, most notably 

in the aerospace, communications, and maritime sectors. Aviation 

and maritime skills acquired through military training, for example, are readily translatable to many jobs for which employers may 

require or prefer holders of a federally issued license. 

In April 2012, the Defense Business Board issued a report recommending Federal agencies review military training as a qualification for their respective program requirements.2 H.R. 4155 is in 

line with this recommendation. 

The bill does not infringe on the jurisdiction of the licensing 

agency. Instead, it leaves the agency free to determine when military training is sufficient to meet license requirements. 


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H.R. 4155 will reduce the licensing burden for qualified veterans, 

and help civilian employers take better advantage of the talent and 

unique skills and experience of our returning soldiers. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 establishes the short title of the bill as the ‘‘Veteran 

Skills to Jobs Act.’’ 

Section 2. Consideration of relevant military training for issuance 

of a federal license 

Section 2 requires Federal agencies to consider relevant military 

training when granting a Federal license or certification. 

Section 3. Regulations 

Section 3 requires each Federal agency with licensure authority 

to prescribe implementing regulations within six months after the 

date of enactment. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Mr. Issa offered a substitute amendment making technical corrections to the bill. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On June 27, 2012, the Committee met in open session and ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 4155, as amended, by voice 

vote, a quorum being present. 

ROLLCALL VOTES

No recorded votes were taken during the consideration of H.R. 

4155. 

APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104–1 requires a description of 

the application of this bill to the legislative branch where the bill 

relates to the terms and conditions of employment or access to public services and accommodations. This bill ensures that any relevant military training of a veteran is taken into account when he 

applies for a Federal occupational license. Legislative branch employees and their families, to the extent that they are otherwise eligible for the benefits provided by this legislation, have equal access 

to its benefits. 

STATEMENT OF OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF

THE COMMITTEE

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 2(b)(1) 

of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the 

descriptive portions of this report. 


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STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee’s performance goals and 

objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions of this report. 

FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT

The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish or 

authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within the 

definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b). 

UNFUNDED MANDATE STATEMENT

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, P.L. 104–4) requires a statement as to whether 

the provisions of the reported bill include unfunded mandates. In 

compliance with this requirement the Committee has received a 

letter from the Congressional Budget Office included herein. 

EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

H.R. 4155 does not include any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule 

XXI. 

COMMITTEE ESTIMATE

Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out H.R. 

4155. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its 

report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of 

the Congressional Budget Act. 

BUDGET AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

COST ESTIMATE

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to requirements 

of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 

Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R. 4155 

from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 


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JULY 2, 2012. 

Hon. DARRELL ISSA, 

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4155, the Veteran Skills 

to Jobs Act. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew Pickford. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 4155—Veteran Skills to Jobs Act 

H.R. 4155 would allow federal agencies to consider certain types 

of military training to be sufficient to satisfy training or certification requirements that an individual may need to obtain a federal license. Examples of such licenses include positions in the 

aviation and maritime industries. Information from the Department of Transportation indicates that this legislation would expand 

the department’s current programs to assist veterans but would not 

significantly change its workload. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4155 would have no significant effect on the federal 

budget. Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or 

revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

H.R. 4155 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew Pickford. The 

estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

Æ 


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