I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5683 

To authorize the President to establish the Veterans’ Job Corps as a means 

of providing gainful employment to unemployed veterans and widows 

of veterans through the performance of useful public works, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 9, 2012 

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To authorize the President to establish the Veterans’ Job 

Corps as a means of providing gainful employment to 

unemployed veterans and widows of veterans through 

the performance of useful public works, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans’ Job Corps 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF VETERANS’ 

2 JOB CORPS. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—In order to 

4 provide employment opportunities to veterans and widows 

5 and to provide for the restoration of depleted natural re6 sources in the United States and the advancement of an 

7 orderly program of useful public works, the President may 

8 establish and operate a Veterans’ Job Corps to employ vet9 erans and widows who are otherwise unemployed, in the 

10 construction, maintenance, and carrying on of works of 

11 a public nature in connection with— 

12 (1) the forestation of lands belonging to the 

13 United States or a State; 

14 (2) the prevention of forest fires, floods, and 

15 soil erosion; 

16 (3) public safety; 

17 (4) plant pest and disease control; 

18 (5) the construction, maintenance, or repair of 

19 paths, trails, and fire-lanes in units of the National 

20 Park System, public lands, and other lands under 

21 the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and 

22 units of the National Forest System; and 

23 (6) such other work on Federal or State land 

24 incidental to or necessary in connection with any 

25 projects of the character enumerated in paragraphs 


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1 (1) through (5) that the President determines to be 

2 desirable. 

3 (b) ROLE OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—To operate the 

4 Veterans’ Job Corps, the President may use existing Fed5 eral departments and agencies, including the Department 

6 of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the 

7 Department of Veterans Affairs. 

8 (c) INCLUSION OF OTHER LANDS.—The President 

9 may extend the activities of the Veterans’ Job Corps to 

10 lands owned by a political subdivision of a State and lands 

11 in private ownership for the purpose of conducting such 

12 kinds of cooperation work authorized by law in preventing 

13 and controlling forest fires and the attacks of forest tree 

14 pests and diseases and such work as is necessary and in 

15 the public interest to control floods. 

16 (d) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—The President may 

17 enter into such contracts or agreements that may be nec18 essary to carry out this Act. 

19 (e) ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY.—The Presi20 dent, or the head of any department or agency authorized 

21 by the President to construct any project or to carry on 

22 any public works under this Act, may acquire real prop23 erty for such project or public work by purchase, donation, 

24 or otherwise. 


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1 SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF VETERANS’ JOB CORPS. 

2 (a) EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE.—The President 

3 shall employ individuals in the Veterans’ Job Corps in the 

4 following order of preference: 

5 (1) Unemployed veterans. 

6 (2) Widows who, immediately before employ7 ment in the Veterans’ Job Corps, are eligible for un8 employment compensation payable under any State 

9 law or Federal unemployment compensation law, in10 cluding any additional compensation or extended 

11 compensation under such laws. 

12 (b) HOUSING AND CARE OF EMPLOYEES.—The 

13 President may provide housing for individuals employed 

14 in the Veterans’ Job Corps and furnish them with such 

15 subsistence, clothing, medical attendance and hospitaliza16 tion, and cash allowance, as may be necessary, during the 

17 period they are so employed. 

18 (c) TRANSPORTATION.—The President may provide 

19 for the transportation of individuals employed in the Vet20 erans’ Job Corps to and from the places of employment. 

21 (d) EXCLUSION.—The following individuals may not 

22 be employed under the provisions of this Act: 

23 (1) An individual convicted of a felony. 

24 (2) A veteran who was discharged from the 

25 Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions. 


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1 SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS. 

2 (a) USE OF UNOBLIGATED FUNDS APPROPRIATED

3 FOR PUBLIC WORKS.— 

4 (1) USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.—In addition to 

5 any amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the 

6 President may use any moneys previously appro7 priated for public works and unobligated as of the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act to establish and 

9 operate a Veterans’ Job Corps under this Act. 

10 (2) USE TO RELIEVE UNEMPLOYMENT.—Not 

11 less than 75 percent of the funds used pursuant to 

12 paragraph (1) shall be used to provide for the em13 ployment of individuals under this Act. 

14 (b) DURATION OF AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appro15 priated to carry out this Act or made available under sub16 section (b) shall remain available until expended. 

17 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given 

20 that term in section 101(2) of title 38, United 

21 States Code. 

22 (2) The term ‘‘widow’’— 

23 (A) means the spouse of a veteran who has 

24 not remarried after the death of such veteran; 

25 and 

26 (B) includes widowers. 


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1 SEC. 6. TERMINATION. 

2 The authority of the President to establish and oper3 ate a Veterans’ Job Corps under this Act expires on Sep4 tember 30, 2018. 

Æ 


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