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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 53 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.Con.Res.53
                                           Agreed to May 4, 2017        

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen

                          Concurrent Resolution

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That in the enrollment of the bill H.R. 244, the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives shall make the following corrections:
        (1) Amend the long title so as to read: ``Making appropriations 
    for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other 
    purposes''.
        (2) Strike the first section 1 immediately following the 
    enacting clause and all that follows through ``Sec. 4. Display of 
    Award''.
        (3) In the table of contents for the Consolidated 
    Appropriations Act, 2017, strike ``Division N--Honoring Investments 
    in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 
    2017'' and insert the following:

     DIVISION N--INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017

 DIVISION O--HONORING INVESTMENTS IN RECRUITING AND EMPLOYING AMERICAN 
                      MILITARY VETERANS ACT OF 2017

        (4) Insert immediately before ``It is unlawful for any employer 
    to publicly display a HIRE Vets Medallion Award'' the following:

``DIVISION O--HONORING INVESTMENTS IN RECRUITING AND EMPLOYING AMERICAN 
                     MILITARY VETERANS ACT OF 2017

``SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This division may be cited as the `Honoring Investments in 
Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2017' or the 
`HIRE Vets Act'.

``SEC. 2. HIRE VETS MEDALLION AWARD PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Established.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall establish, by 
rule, a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to solicit voluntary information 
from employers for purposes of recognizing, by means of an award to be 
designated a `HIRE Vets Medallion Award', verified efforts by such 
employers--
        ``(1) to recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and
        ``(2) to provide community and charitable services supporting 
    the veteran community.
    ``(b) Application Process.--Beginning in the calendar year 
following the calendar year in which the Secretary establishes the 
program, the Secretary shall annually--
        ``(1) solicit and accept voluntary applications from employers 
    in order to consider whether those employers should receive a HIRE 
    Vets Medallion Award;
        ``(2) review applications received in each calendar year; and
        ``(3) notify such recipients of their awards; and
        ``(4) at a time to coincide with the annual commemoration of 
    Veterans Day--
            ``(A) announce the names of such recipients;
            ``(B) recognize such recipients through publication in the 
        Federal Register; and
            ``(C) issue to each such recipient--
                ``(i) a HIRE Vets Medallion Award of the level 
            determined under section 3; and
                ``(ii) a certificate stating that such employer is 
            entitled to display such HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
    ``(c) Timing.--
        ``(1) Solicitation period.--The Secretary shall solicit 
    applications not later than January 31st of each calendar year for 
    the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar year.
        ``(2) End of acceptance period.--The Secretary shall stop 
    accepting applications not earlier than April 30th of each calendar 
    year for the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar 
    year.
        ``(3) Review period.--The Secretary shall finish reviewing 
    applications not later than August 31st of each calendar year for 
    the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar year.
        ``(4) Selection of recipients.--The Secretary shall select the 
    employers to receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not later than 
    September 30th of each calendar year for the Awards to be awarded 
    in November of that calendar year.
        ``(5) Notice to recipients.--The Secretary shall notify 
    employers who will receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not later 
    than October 11th of each calendar year for the Awards to be 
    awarded in November of that calendar year.
    ``(d) Limitation.--An employer who receives a HIRE Vets Medallion 
Award for one calendar year is not eligible to receive a HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award for the subsequent calendar year.

``SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.

    ``(a) Application Review Process.--
        ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall review all applications 
    received in a calendar year to determine whether an employer should 
    receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, and, if so, of what level.
        ``(2) Application contents.--The Secretary shall require that 
    all applications provide information on the programs and other 
    efforts of applicant employers during the calendar year prior to 
    that in which the medallion is to be awarded, including the 
    categories and activities governing the level of award for which 
    the applicant is eligible under subsection (b).
        ``(3) Verification.--The Secretary shall verify all information 
    provided in the applications, to the extent that such information 
    is relevant in determining whether or not an employer should 
    receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award or in determining the 
    appropriate level of HIRE Vets Medallion Award for that employer to 
    receive, including by requiring the chief executive officer or the 
    chief human relations officer of the employer to attest under 
    penalty of perjury that the employer has met the criteria described 
    in subsection (b) for a particular level of Award.
    ``(b) Awards.--
        ``(1) Large employers.--
            ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 2 levels 
        of HIRE Vets Medallion Awards to be awarded to employers 
        employing 500 or more employees, to be designated the `Gold 
        HIRE Vets Medallion Award' and the `Platinum HIRE Vets 
        Medallion Award'.
            ``(B) Gold hire vets medallion award.--No employer shall be 
        eligible to receive a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award in a given 
        calendar year unless--
                ``(i) veterans constitute not less than 7 percent of 
            all employees hired by such employer during the prior 
            calendar year;
                ``(ii) such employer has retained not less than 75 
            percent of the veteran employees hired during the calendar 
            year preceding the preceding calendar year for a period of 
            at least 12 months from the date on which the employees 
            were hired;
                ``(iii) such employer has established an employee 
            veteran organization or resource group to assist new 
            veteran employees with integration, including coaching and 
            mentoring; and
                ``(iv) such employer has established programs to 
            enhance the leadership skills of veteran employees during 
            their employment.
            ``(C) Platinum hire vets medallion award.--No employer 
        shall be eligible to receive a Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion 
        Award in a given calendar year unless--
                ``(i) the employer meets all the requirements for 
            eligibility for a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award under 
            subparagraph (B);
                ``(ii) veterans constitute not less than 10 percent of 
            all employees hired by such employer during the prior 
            calendar year;
                ``(iii) such employer has retained not less than 85 
            percent of the veteran employees hired during the calendar 
            year preceding the preceding calendar year for a period of 
            at least 12 months from the date on which the employees 
            were hired;
                ``(iv) such employer employs dedicated human resources 
            professionals to support hiring and retention of veteran 
            employees, including efforts focused on veteran hiring and 
            training;
                ``(v) such employer provides each of its employees 
            serving on active duty in the United States National Guard 
            or Reserve with compensation sufficient, in combination 
            with the employee's active duty pay, to achieve a combined 
            level of income commensurate with the employee's salary 
            prior to undertaking active duty; and
                ``(vi) such employer has a tuition assistance program 
            to support veteran employees' attendance in postsecondary 
            education during the term of their employment.
            ``(D) Exemption for smaller employers.--An employer shall 
        be deemed to meet the requirements of subparagraph (C)(iv) if 
        such employer--
                ``(i) employs 5,000 or fewer employees; and
                ``(ii) employs at least one human resources 
            professional whose regular work duties include those 
            described under subparagraph (C)(iv).
            ``(E) Additional criteria.--The Secretary may provide, by 
        rule, additional criteria with which to determine 
        qualifications for receipt of each level of HIRE Vets Medallion 
        Award.
        ``(2) Small- and medium-sized employers.--The Secretary shall 
    establish similar awards in order to recognize achievements in 
    supporting veterans by--
            ``(A) employers with 50 or fewer employees; and
            ``(B) employers with more than 50 but fewer than 500 
        employees.
    ``(c) Design by Secretary.--The Secretary shall establish the 
shape, form, and design of each HIRE Vets Medallion Award, except that 
the Award shall be in the form of a certificate and shall state the 
year for which it was awarded.

``SEC. 4. DISPLAY OF AWARD.''.

        (5) In section 5(b) of division O, strike ``Act'' and insert 
    ``division''.
        (6) In section 6 of division O, strike ``Act'' and insert 
    ``division''.
        (7) In section 8 of division O, strike ``Act'' and insert 
    ``division''.
Attest:

                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Attest:

                                               Secretary of the Senate.
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