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[House Report 112-585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

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 training 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Department 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\Defense 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    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.
    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.

         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:

                                                      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.

                                  
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