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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3555 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3555

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Federal agencies to 
 hire veterans, to require States to recognize the military experience 
of veterans when issuing licenses and credentials to veterans, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 19, 2012

   Mr. Burr introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Federal agencies to 
 hire veterans, to require States to recognize the military experience 
of veterans when issuing licenses and credentials to veterans, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Careers for Veterans Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 4214 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4)(A) The requirement under this section is in addition to the 
appointment of qualified covered veterans under the authority under 
paragraph (1) by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department 
of Defense.
    ``(B) The head of each agency, in consultation with the Director of 
the Office of Personnel Management, shall develop a plan for exercising 
the authority under paragraph (1) during the five-year period beginning 
on the date of enactment of the Careers for Veterans Act of 2012.
    ``(C) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 
ensure that under the plans developed under subparagraph (B) agencies 
shall appoint to existing vacancies not fewer than 10,000 qualified 
covered veterans during the five-year period beginning on the date of 
enactment of the Careers for Veterans Act of 2012.'';
            (2) in subsection (d), in the third sentence, by inserting 
        ``(including, during the 5-year period beginning on the date of 
        enactment of the Careers for Veterans Act of 2012, the 
        development and implementation by each agency of the plan 
        required under subsection (b)(4), which shall include 
        information regarding the grade or pay level of appointments by 
        the agency under the plan and whether the appointments are, or 
        are converted to, career or career-conditional appointments)'' 
        after ``subsection (b) of this section''; and
            (3) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in the matter before subparagraph (A), 
                        by striking ``to the Congress'' and inserting 
                        ``to the appropriate committees of Congress''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
                        ``(including, during the 5-year period 
                        beginning on the date of enactment of the 
                        Careers for Veterans Act of 2012, the 
                        development and implementation by the agency of 
                        the plan required under subsection (b)(4), 
                        which shall include information regarding the 
                        grade or pay level of appointments by the 
                        agency under the plan and whether the 
                        appointments are, or are converted to, 
                        permanent appointments)'' before the period; 
                        and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(3) In this subsection, the term `appropriate committees of 
Congress' means--
            ``(A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee 
        on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 
        and
            ``(B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee 
        on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
        Representatives.''.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress (as defined under 
section 4214(e)(3) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
subsection (a)) regarding the development of a plan to carry out the 
amendments made by subsection (a).

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT STATES RECOGNIZE MILITARY EXPERIENCE OF 
              VETERANS WHEN ISSUING LICENSES AND CREDENTIALS TO 
              VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 4102A(c) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(9)(A) As a condition of a grant or contract under which funds 
are made available to a State under subsection (b)(5) in order to carry 
out section 4103A or 4104 of this title, the State shall--
            ``(i) establish a program under which the State administers 
        an examination to each veteran seeking a license or credential 
        issued by the State and issues such license or credential to 
        such veteran without requiring such veteran to undergo any 
        training or apprenticeship if the veteran--
                    ``(I) receives a satisfactory score on completion 
                of such examination, as determined by the State; and
                    ``(II) has not less than 10 years of experience in 
                a military occupational specialty that, as determined 
                by the State, is similar to a civilian occupation for 
                which such license or credential is required by the 
                State; and
            ``(ii) submit each year to the Secretary a report on the 
        exams administered under clause (i) during the most recently 
        completed 12-month period that includes, for the period covered 
        by the report the number of veterans who completed an exam 
        administered by the State under clause (i) and a description of 
        the results of such exams, disaggregated by occupational field.
    ``(B) Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress and the Secretary of Defense a report summarizing 
the information received by the Secretary under subparagraph 
(A)(ii).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) Exams.--Subparagraph (A) of section 4102A(c)(9) of such 
        title, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on the 
        date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act and shall apply with respect to grants and contracts 
        described in such subparagraph awarded after such date.
            (2) Reports.--Subparagraph (B) of section 4102A(c)(9), as 
        added by subsection (a), shall take effect on the date that is 
        one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and the 
        Secretary of Labor shall submit the first report under such 
        subparagraph not later than two years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR JOB SEARCHES OF VETERANS THROUGH ONE-STOP CENTERS.

    (a) Furnishing of List of Internet Resources.--Not later than 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Labor shall furnish each one-stop center with a list of all Internet 
websites and applications that the Secretary has identified as 
beneficial for veterans in pursuit of employment to their pursuit.
    (b) Identification of Additional Resources.--The Secretary shall 
coordinate with public and private sector entities to identify Internet 
websites and applications not already included in a list furnished 
under subsection (a) that--
            (1) match veterans seeking employment with available jobs 
        based on the skills the veterans acquired as members of the 
        Armed Forces; and
            (2) allow employers to post information about available 
        jobs.
    (c) Supplements.--The Secretary of Labor shall furnish each one-
stop center with a list of Internet websites and applications 
identified under subsection (b).
    (d) Report.--Not later than 455 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the use of the Internet 
websites and applications identified under subsection (b) for the 
benefit of veterans in pursuit of employment.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
                the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
                of Representatives.
            (2) One-stop center.--The term ``one-stop center'' means a 
        center described in section 134(c) of the Workforce Investment 
        Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(c)).

SEC. 5. EXPANSION OF CONTRACTING GOALS AND PREFERENCES OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS TO INCLUDE SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS 100 
              PERCENT BUT CONDITIONALLY OWNED BY VETERANS.

    Section 8127(l) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``unconditionally'' 
        before ``owned by'' each place it appears; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) The term `unconditionally owned' includes, with 
        respect to ownership of a small business concern, conditional 
        ownership of such small business concern if such business 
        concern is 100 percent owned by one or more veterans.''.

SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TREATMENT UNDER CONTRACTING GOALS AND 
              PREFERENCES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR SMALL 
              BUSINESSES OWNED BY VETERANS OF SMALL BUSINESSES AFTER 
              DEATH OF DISABLED VETERAN OWNERS.

    (a) In General.--Section 8127(h) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``rated as'' and all that 
        follows through ``disability.'' and inserting a period; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by amending subparagraph (C) to read 
        as follows:
            ``(C) The date that--
                    ``(i) in the case of a surviving spouse of a 
                veteran with a service-connected disability rated as 
                100 percent disabling or who dies as a result of a 
                service-connected disability, is 10 years after the 
                date of the veteran's death; or
                    ``(ii) in the case of a surviving spouse of a 
                veteran with a service-connected disability rated as 
                less than 100 percent disabling who does not die as a 
                result of a service-connected disability, is three 
                years after the date of the veteran's death.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to contracts awarded 
on or after such date.

SEC. 7. TREATMENT OF BUSINESSES AFTER DEATHS OF SERVICEMEMBER-OWNERS 
              FOR PURPOSES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              CONTRACTING GOALS AND PREFERENCES.

    (a) In General.--Section 8127 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (l) as 
        subsections (j) through (m), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following new 
        subsection (i):
    ``(i) Treatment of Businesses After Death of Servicemember-Owner.--
(1) If a member of the Armed Forces owns at least 51 percent of a small 
business concern and such member is killed in line of duty in the 
active military, naval, or air service, the surviving spouse or 
dependent of such member who acquires such ownership rights in such 
small business concern shall, for the period described in paragraph 
(2), be treated as if the surviving spouse or dependent were a veteran 
with a service-connected disability for purposes of determining the 
status of the small business concern as a small business concern owned 
and controlled by veterans for purposes of contracting goals and 
preferences under this section.
    ``(2) The period referred to in paragraph (1) is the period 
beginning on the date on which the member of the Armed Forces dies and 
ending on the date as follows:
            ``(A) In the case of a surviving spouse, the earliest of 
        the following dates:
                    ``(i) The date on which the surviving spouse 
                remarries.
                    ``(ii) The date on which the surviving spouse 
                relinquishes an ownership interest in the small 
                business concern and no longer owns at least 51 percent 
                of such small business concern.
                    ``(iii) The date that is ten years after the date 
                of the member's death.
            ``(B) In the case of a dependent who is not a spouse, the 
        earliest of the following dates:
                    ``(i) The date on which the surviving dependant 
                relinquishes an ownership interest in the small 
                business concern and no longer owns at least 51 percent 
                of such small business concern.
                    ``(ii) The date that is ten years after the date of 
                the member's death.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (i) of section 8127 of such title, 
as added by subsection (a), take effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act and shall apply with respect to the deaths of members of the 
Armed Forces occurring on or after such date.

SEC. 8. SPECIAL RULE FOR TREATMENT UNDER CONTRACTING GOALS AND 
              PREFERENCES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF SMALL 
              BUSINESS CONCERNS LICENSED IN COMMUNITY PROPERTY STATES.

    Section 8127 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 
7, is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(n) Special Rule for Community Property States.--Whenever the 
Secretary assesses, for purposes of this section, the degree of 
ownership by an individual of a small business concern licensed in a 
community property State, the Secretary shall also assess what that 
degree of ownership would be if such small business concern had been 
licensed in a State other than a community property State. If the 
Secretary determines that such individual would have had a greater 
degree of ownership of the small business concern had such small 
business concern been licensed in a State other than a community 
property State, the Secretary shall treat, for purposes of this 
section, such small business concern as if it had been licensed in a 
State other than a community property State.''.

SEC. 9. OFF-BASE TRANSITION TRAINING.

    (a) Provision of Off-Base Transition Training.--During the three-
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Labor shall provide the Transition Assistance Program 
under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, to eligible 
individuals at locations other than military installations in not less 
than three and not more than five States selected by the Secretary.
    (b) Selection of Locations.--In selecting States in which to carry 
out the training under subsection (a), the Secretary shall select the 
States with the highest rates of veteran unemployment. The Secretary 
shall provide such training to veterans at a sufficient number of 
locations within the selected States to meet the need. The Secretary 
shall select such locations to facilitate access by participants and 
may not select any location on a military installation other than a 
National Guard or reserve facility that is not located on an active 
duty military installation.
    (c) Eligible Individuals.--For purposes of this section, an 
eligible individual is a veteran or the spouse of a veteran.
    (d) Inclusion of Information About Veterans Benefits.--The 
Secretary shall ensure that the training provided under subsection (a) 
generally follows the content of the Transition Assistance Program 
under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
    (e) Integrating Subject Matter Experts.--The Secretary of Labor 
shall include in any contract entered into pursuant to section 1144 of 
title 10, United States Code, or section 4113 of title 38, United 
States Code, a requirement to include experts in subject matters 
relating to human resources practices, including resume writing, 
interviewing and job searching skills, and the provision of information 
about post-secondary education.
    (f) Annual Report.--Not later than March 1 of any year during which 
the Secretary provides training under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a report on the provision of such training.
    (g) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
termination of the three-year period described in subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
report on the training provided under such subsection. The report shall 
include the evaluation of the Comptroller General regarding the 
feasibility of carrying out off-base transition training at locations 
nationwide.
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