I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5120 

To improve employment, training, and placement services furnished to veterans, especially those serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 

Enduring Freedom, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2010 

Mr. SMITH of Washington (for himself, Mr. NYE, and Mr. TEAGUE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Education and 

Labor, Small Business, Energy and Commerce, and Armed Services, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve employment, training, and placement services 

furnished to veterans, especially those serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, 

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 ‘‘Veteran Employment 

5 Assistance Act of 2010’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) In 2008, the unemployment rate of veterans 

4 between the ages of 18 and 24 was 14.1 percent. 

5 (2) In 2009, the unemployment rate of male 

6 veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 was 21.6 

7 percent and the unemployment rate of female vet8 erans in the same age group was 19.2 percent. 

9 (3) The unemployment rate of veterans in all 

10 age groups is expected to increase as a result of the 

11 economic downturn that began in 2008. 

12 (4) In 2004, approximately 22 percent of vet13 erans were either purchasing or starting a new busi14 ness, or considering doing so. 

15 (5) One of the most critical problems identified 

16 by veteran small business owners is a lack of knowl17 edge about programs of assistance available to small 

18 businesses. 

19 (6) Members of the Armed Forces learn a wide 

20 range of technical skills during their time in the 

21 Armed Forces, but often find it difficult to transfer 

22 these skills into civilian professions. 

23 (7) The Commissioner of Labor Statistics esti24 mates that career opportunities in the fields of 

25 health care and information technology will expand 

26 significantly in the coming decade. 


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1 SEC. 3. VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 32 of the Small Business 

3 Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘‘subsections 

5 (a) through (e) of’’ before ‘‘this section’’; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator 

9 shall establish a veterans business center program to 

10 provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to 

11 veterans in accordance with this subsection. 

12 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Administrator shall ap13 point a Director of the veterans business center pro14 gram, who shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) implement and oversee the veterans 

16 business center program; and 

17 ‘‘(B) report directly to the Associate Ad18 ministrator. 

19 ‘‘(3) DESIGNATION OF VETERANS BUSINESS

20 CENTERS.—The Director shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) by regulation establish an application, 

22 review, and notification process under which the 

23 Director may designate entities as veterans 

24 business centers for purposes of this section; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) publicize the designation of an entity 

2 as a veterans business center and the award of 

3 a grant to a veterans business center under this 

4 subsection. 

5 ‘‘(4) FUNDING FOR VETERANS BUSINESS CEN6 TERS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GRANTS.—The Director may 

8 make a grant to each veterans business center 

9 each year in the amount of $150,000. The Di10 rector may not make more than 5 grants under 

11 this subparagraph to a veterans business cen12 ter. 

13 ‘‘(B) GROWTH FUNDING GRANTS.—If a 

14 veterans business center has received 5 initial 

15 grants, the Director may make a grant to the 

16 veterans business center each year in the 

17 amount of $100,000. The Director may not 

18 make more than 3 grants under this subpara19 graph to a veterans business center. 

20 ‘‘(5) ACCOUNTABILITY.—Each veterans busi21 ness center receiving an initial grant or a growth 

22 funding grant shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) meet performance benchmarks (which 

24 shall be established by the Director for the vet25 erans business center and reflect the purposes 


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1 of this subsection) to be eligible for an initial 

2 grant or growth funding grant in a subsequent 

3 year; and 

4 ‘‘(B) submit to the Director an annual re5 port on the performance of the veterans busi6 ness center, which shall include— 

7 ‘‘(i) a description of the use of the 

8 grant under this subsection and matching 

9 funds to carry out the activities of the vet10 erans business center; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) a description of the progress of 

12 the veterans business center in meeting the 

13 performance benchmarks described in sub14 paragraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(6) CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each vet16 erans business center receiving an initial grant or a 

17 growth funding grant shall use the funds received 

18 under the grant for— 

19 ‘‘(A) veteran entrepreneurial development; 

20 ‘‘(B) counseling of veterans who own small 

21 business concerns or who are seeking to own a 

22 small business concern through one-on-one in23 struction and classes, including counseling re24 lating to financial literacy; 


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1 ‘‘(C) education about services available 

2 through one-stop centers referred to in section 

3 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 

4 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(c)), including veterans 

5 employment assistance and job announcement 

6 services; 

7 ‘‘(D) education about tax provisions relat8 ing to first time owners of business concerns, 

9 owners of small business concerns, and vet10 erans; 

11 ‘‘(E) counseling regarding the availability 

12 of mentoring services; and 

13 ‘‘(F) information on government procure14 ment assistance available to veterans. 

15 ‘‘(7) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A veterans business 

17 center receiving an initial grant or a growth 

18 funding grant shall provide a contribution, in 

19 cash or in-kind, that is not less than 50 percent 

20 of the amount of the grant. 

21 ‘‘(B) SOURCE OF CONTRIBUTION.—Not 

22 more than 25 percent of a contribution under 

23 subparagraph (A) may be provided from other 

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1 vided from funds made available by a State, 

2 local government, or private person. 

3 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Director may, 

5 upon request, waive a portion of the 

6 matching contribution under this para7 graph upon a determination of hardship to 

8 the veterans business center. 

9 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter10 mining whether a veterans business center 

11 is experiencing a hardship, the Director 

12 shall consider— 

13 ‘‘(I) whether the veterans busi14 ness center is operating at an eco15 nomic loss; 

16 ‘‘(II) whether the veterans busi17 ness center would continue to operate 

18 without a waiver; and 

19 ‘‘(III) other factors the Director 

20 considers appropriate. 

21 ‘‘(8) TARGETED AREAS.—The Director shall 

22 give priority to applications to be designated a vet23 erans business center and for initial grants and 

24 growth funding grants under this subsection that 


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1 will establish a veterans business center in a geo2 graphic area, as determined by the Director— 

3 ‘‘(A) that is not currently served by a vet4 erans business center; and 

5 ‘‘(B) in which— 

6 ‘‘(i) the number of veterans per capita 

7 exceeds the national median of the number 

8 of veterans per capita; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the number of veterans of Oper10 ation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Endur11 ing Freedom per capita exceeds the na12 tional median of the number of veterans of 

13 Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation En14 during Freedom per capita; or 

15 ‘‘(iii) the expected number of veterans 

16 of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 

17 Enduring Freedom per capita, as deter18 mined by the Secretary of Defense, will ex19 ceed the national median of the number of 

20 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom or 

21 Operation Enduring Freedom per capita. 

22 ‘‘(9) TRAINING PROGRAM.—The Director shall 

23 develop and implement, directly or by contract, an 

24 annual training program for the employees of vet25 erans business centers to provide education, support, 


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1 and information on best practices with respect to the 

2 establishment and operation of a veterans business 

3 center. The Director shall develop the training pro4 gram under this paragraph in consultation with vet5 erans business centers, the task force, the Employ6 ment and Training Administration and the Vet7 erans’ Employment and Training Service of the De8 partment of Labor, and veterans service organiza9 tions. 

10 ‘‘(10) INCLUSION OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN

11 PROGRAM.—The Director shall designate as a vet12 erans business center, and may make a initial grant 

13 to— 

14 ‘‘(A) a Veterans Business Outreach Center 

15 established by the Administrator under section 

16 8(b)(17) on or before the date of enactment of 

17 this subsection; and 

18 ‘‘(B) each person or entity that— 

19 ‘‘(i) received funds during fiscal year 

20 2006 from the National Veterans Business 

21 Development Corporation established 

22 under section 33; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) is in operation on the date of en24 actment of this subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(11) ANNUAL REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF

2 VETERAN BUSINESS CENTERS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

4 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

5 and every year thereafter, the Administrator 

6 shall submit a report on the performance of the 

7 veterans business center program to— 

8 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Veterans’ Af9 fairs, the Committee on Appropriations, 

10 the Committee on Small Business and En11 trepreneurship, and the Committee on 

12 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

13 the Senate; 

14 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Veterans’ Af15 fairs, the Committee on Appropriations, 

16 and the Committee on Small Business of 

17 the House of Representatives; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) relevant Federal agencies, in19 cluding the Department of Veterans Af20 fairs and the Department of Labor. 

21 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each report under sub22 paragraph (A) shall include, for the 1-year pe23 riod ending on the date of the report— 

24 ‘‘(i) an assessment of the compliance 

25 of each veterans business center receiving 


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1 an initial grant or growth funding grant 

2 with the performance benchmarks estab3 lished for the veterans business center 

4 under paragraph (5)(A); 

5 ‘‘(ii) the number of veterans assisted 

6 by a veterans business center receiving an 

7 initial grant or growth funding grant; 

8 ‘‘(iii) comments, if any, from veterans 

9 who sought the assistance of a veterans 

10 business center; 

11 ‘‘(iv) the success rate, as determined 

12 by the Administrator, of small business 

13 concerns owned and controlled by veterans 

14 who sought assistance from a veterans 

15 business center; and 

16 ‘‘(v) any other performance indicators 

17 and information the Administrator deter18 mines appropriate. 

19 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Director 

20 shall disseminate the findings of each report 

21 under subparagraph (A) online and to the vet22 eran, small business, and workforce develop23 ment communities. 


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1 ‘‘(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this subsection— 

4 ‘‘(A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

5 ‘‘(B) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

6 ‘‘(h) ADDITIONAL GRANTS AVAILABLE TO VETERANS

7 BUSINESS CENTERS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ACCESS TO CAPITAL GRANT PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es10 tablish a grant program under which the Direc11 tor may make grants to veterans business cen12 ters to— 

13 ‘‘(i) develop specialized programs to 

14 assist small business concerns owned and 

15 controlled by veterans in securing capital 

16 and repairing damaged credit; 

17 ‘‘(ii) provide informational seminars 

18 on financial literacy, securing loans, and 

19 Federal, State and local tax provisions and 

20 incentives for small business concerns 

21 owned and controlled by veterans; 

22 ‘‘(iii) provide one-on-one counseling to 

23 small business concerns owned and con24 trolled by veterans to improve the financial 


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1 presentations of the small business concern 

2 to lenders; 

3 ‘‘(iv) facilitate the access of small 

4 business concerns owned and controlled by 

5 veterans to traditional and non-traditional 

6 financing sources; and 

7 ‘‘(v) establish links to and partner8 ships with local workforce boards and busi9 ness mentoring organizations. 

10 ‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 

11 make grants under this paragraph to a veterans 

12 business center in a total amount of more than 

13 $75,000 during any 1-year period. 

14 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA15 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

16 to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 

17 of fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 

18 ‘‘(2) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT PRO19 GRAM.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es21 tablish a grant program under which the Direc22 tor may make grants to veterans business cen23 ters to— 

24 ‘‘(i) assist small business concerns 

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1 fying contracts that are suitable for the 

2 small business concern; 

3 ‘‘(ii) prepare small business concerns 

4 owned and controlled by veterans to act as 

5 subcontractors and prime contractors for 

6 contracts made available under the Amer7 ican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

8 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 115) 

9 through training and business advice, par10 ticularly with respect to the construction 

11 trades; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) provide technical assistance to 

13 small business concerns owned and con14 trolled by veterans relating to the Federal 

15 procurement process, including assisting in 

16 compliance with Federal regulations and 

17 bonding requirements. 

18 ‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 

19 make grants under this paragraph to a veterans 

20 business center in a total amount of more than 

21 $75,000 during any 1-year period. 

22 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA23 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

24 to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 

25 of fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED

2 SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es4 tablish a grant program under which the Direc5 tor may make grants to veterans business cen6 ters to— 

7 ‘‘(i) develop outreach programs for 

8 service-disabled veterans with respect to 

9 the benefits of self-employment; 

10 ‘‘(ii) provide tailored training to serv11 ice-disabled veterans with respect to busi12 ness plan development, marketing, budg13 eting, accounting, and merchandising; 

14 ‘‘(iii) assist small business concerns 

15 owned and controlled by service-disabled 

16 veterans in locating and securing business 

17 opportunities; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) link service-disabled veterans to 

19 services provided through one-stop centers 

20 referred to in section 134(c) of the Work21 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

22 2864(c)), including information on labor 

23 market trends, entrepreneurial and related 

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1 nancial aid, and specialized services for 

2 veterans. 

3 ‘‘(B) AWARD SIZE.—The Director may not 

4 make grants under this paragraph to a veterans 

5 business center in a total amount of more than 

6 $75,000 during any 1-year period. 

7 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA8 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

9 to carry out this paragraph $1,500,000 for each 

10 of fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 

11 ‘‘(i) VETERANS ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

12 SUMMIT.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the vet14 erans business center program established under 

15 subsection (g) may hold an event, once every 2 

16 years, to provide networking opportunities, outreach, 

17 education, training, and support to veterans business 

18 centers designated under subsection (g), small busi19 ness concerns owned and controlled by veterans, vet20 erans service organizations, workforce investment 

21 boards of State and local governments, the Employ22 ment and Training Administration and the Vet23 erans’ Employment and Training Service of the De24 partment of Labor, and other entities as determined 

25 appropriate by the Director. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PRESENTATION OF REPORT.—The findings 

2 of the most recently submitted report under sub3 section (g)(12) shall be presented at an event held 

4 under this subsection. 

5 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

7 this subsection $450,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2011 and 2012. 

9 ‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

10 ‘‘(1) the term ‘Associate Administrator’ means 

11 the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business 

12 Development appointed under section 4(b)(1); 

13 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of 

14 the veterans business center program; 

15 ‘‘(3) the term ‘growth funding grant’ means a 

16 grant under subsection (g)(5)(B); 

17 ‘‘(4) the term ‘initial grant’ means a grant 

18 under subsection (g)(5)(A); 

19 ‘‘(5) the term ‘task force’ means the inter20 agency task force established under subsection 

21 (c)(1); 

22 ‘‘(6) the term ‘veterans business center’ means 

23 an entity designated as a veterans business center 

24 under subsection (g)(4)(A); and 


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1 ‘‘(7) the term ‘veterans business center pro2 gram’ means the veterans business center program 

3 established under subsection (g)(2).’’. 

4 (b) REPORT REGARDING DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM.— 

5 The Administrator of the Small Business Administration, 

6 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Assistant Sec7 retary for Veterans’ Employment and Training shall joint8 ly— 

9 (1) assess the efficacy of establishing a Federal 

10 direct loan program for small business concerns 

11 owned and controlled by veterans (as defined in sec12 tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)); 

13 and 

14 (2) not later than 180 days after the date of 

15 enactment of this Act, submit a report regarding the 

16 assessment under paragraph (1) to— 

17 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

18 the Committee on Appropriations, the Com19 mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneur20 ship, and the Committee on Health, Education, 

21 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and 

22 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

23 the Committee on Appropriations, and the 

24 Committee on Small Business of the House of 

25 Representatives. 


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1 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

2 Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) 

3 is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘by the Asso5 ciate Administrator for Veterans Business Develop6 ment’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘by the As7 sociate Administrator.’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘(in this 

9 section referred to as the ‘task force’)’’. 

10 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY 

11 TASK FORCE. 

12 Section 32(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

13 657b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 

15 the date of enactment of this paragraph, and every 

16 6 months thereafter, the Administrator shall submit 

17 to Congress a report on the appointments made to 

18 and activities of the task force.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. PERIOD FOR COMPLETION OF TRAINING OF NEW 

2 DISABLED VETERANS’ OUTREACH PROGRAM 

3 SPECIALISTS AND LOCAL VETERANS’ EM4 PLOYMENT REPRESENTATIVES BY NATIONAL 

5 VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING 

6 SERVICES INSTITUTE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4102A(c)(8)(A) of title 

8 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘three9 year period’’ and inserting ‘‘one-year period’’. 

10 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

11 (1) APPLICABILITY TO NEW EMPLOYEES.—The 

12 amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with 

13 respect to a State employee assigned to perform the 

14 duties of a disabled veterans’ outreach program spe15 cialist or a local veterans’ employment representative 

16 under chapter 41 of such title who is so assigned on 

17 or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 (2) APPLICABILITY TO PREVIOUSLY HIRED EM19 PLOYEES.—In the case of such a State employee 

20 who is so assigned on or after January 1, 2006, and 

21 before the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

22 Secretary of Labor shall require the State to require, 

23 as a condition of a grant or contract under which 

24 funds are made available to the State in order to 

25 carry out section 4103A or 4104 of title 38, United 

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1 factorily the training described in section 

2 4102A(c)(8)(A) of such title by not later than the 

3 date that is one year after the date of the enactment 

4 of this Act. 

5 (c) CROSS-TRAINING.—The Secretary of Labor shall 

6 require State employees described by subsection (b) in the 

7 performance of duties described in that subsection— 

8 (1) to educate staff of one-stop centers about 

9 the services such State employees provide and the 

10 programs of assistance available to veterans; and 

11 (2) in order to strengthen coordination and en12 hance services to veterans, to learn about the em13 ployment and training and related information and 

14 services made available through the one-stop delivery 

15 system. 

16 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 (1) ONE-STOP CENTER.—The term ‘‘one-stop 

18 center’’ means a one-stop center described in section 

19 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

20 U.S.C. 2864(c)). 

21 (2) ONE-STOP DELIVERY SYSTEM.—The term 

22 ‘‘one-stop delivery system’’ means a one-stop delivery 

23 system described in such section 134(c). 


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1 SEC. 6. EMPLOYMENT TRAINING ASSISTANCE. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 42 of title 38, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing new section: 

5 ‘‘§ 4216. Employment training assistance for unem6 ployed veterans 

7 ‘‘(a) SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE.—(1) The Secretary 

8 of Labor shall, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 

9 Veterans’ Employment and Training, pay to each covered 

10 veteran a monthly training subsistence allowance under 

11 this section for each month that a covered veteran is en12 rolled in a full time employment and training program 

13 that— 

14 ‘‘(A) is offered by an eligible provider of train15 ing services under section 122 of the Workforce In16 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2842); and 

17 ‘‘(B) teaches a skill that is connected to a ca18 reer in an in-demand industry, as determined by the 

19 Secretary of Labor. 

20 ‘‘(2) The amount of the monthly training subsistence 

21 allowance paid to a covered veteran under this subsection 

22 shall be equal to the monthly amount of the basic allow23 ance for housing payable under section 403 of title 37 for 

24 a member of the Armed Forces with dependents in pay 

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1 compasses all or the majority portion of the ZIP code area 

2 in which the covered veteran resides. 

3 ‘‘(3) A covered veteran is entitled to training subsist4 ence allowance under this subsection for not more than 

5 six months during each 10-year period beginning on the 

6 date in which the covered veteran first receives training 

7 subsistence allowance under this section. 

8 ‘‘(b) RELOCATION STIPEND.—(1) In addition to the 

9 training subsistence allowance payable to a covered vet10 eran under subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor shall, 

11 acting through the Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Em12 ployment and Training, pay to each covered veteran a relo13 cation stipend for expenses incurred by the veteran for one 

14 relocation— 

15 ‘‘(A) related to the veteran’s participation in an 

16 employment and training program described in sub17 section (a)(1); or 

18 ‘‘(B) to an employment opportunity related to 

19 the field or subject matter in which the veteran was 

20 trained in an employment and training program de21 scribed in subsection (a)(1). 

22 ‘‘(2) The amount of relocation stipend paid to a cov23 ered veteran under paragraph (1) may not exceed the less24 er of— 

25 ‘‘(A) $5,000; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the actual amount of expenses incurred by 

2 the veteran. 

3 ‘‘(c) COVERED VETERAN.—For purposes of this sec4 tion, a covered veteran is a veteran who is— 

5 ‘‘(1) unemployed for a period of not less than 

6 four consecutive months at the time of applying for 

7 training subsistence allowance under subsection (a); 

8 ‘‘(2) able to complete successfully the employ9 ment and training program described in subsection 

10 (a)(1), as determined by the Secretary of Labor; and 

11 ‘‘(3) except as provided under this section, ineli12 gible for education or training assistance under this 

13 title. 

14 ‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary of Labor 

15 shall submit to Congress each year a report on the effec16 tiveness of the training subsistence allowance under sub17 section (a) and the relocation stipend under subsection (b) 

18 during the preceding year. Each report shall include, for 

19 the year concerned by such report, the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) The number of veterans who received the 

21 subsistence allowance. 

22 ‘‘(2) The number of veterans who received the 

23 relocation stipend. 

24 ‘‘(3) The percentage of veterans who received 

25 the subsistence allowance or relocation stipend and 


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1 completed an employment and training program de2 scribed in subsection (a)(1). 

3 ‘‘(4) The percentage of veterans who received 

4 the subsistence allowance or relocation stipend and 

5 were employed and retained upon completion of an 

6 employment and training program described in sub7 section (a)(1), as measured by the Secretary of 

8 Labor. 

9 ‘‘(5) The percentage of veterans who— 

10 ‘‘(A) received the subsistence allowance or 

11 relocation stipend; and 

12 ‘‘(B) were employed in the fourth calendar 

13 quarter of such year following graduation from 

14 an employment and training program described 

15 in subsection (a)(1). 

16 ‘‘(6) The average earnings of veterans, as meas17 ured by the Secretary of Labor, who— 

18 ‘‘(A) received the subsistence allowance or 

19 relocation stipend; and 

20 ‘‘(B) completed an employment and train21 ing program described in subsection (a)(1). 

22 ‘‘(7) Such other matters relating to the effec23 tiveness of the subsistence allowance and the reloca24 tion stipend as the Secretary of Labor considers ap25 propriate. 


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1 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 

3 Labor to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each fis4 cal year.’’. 

5 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

6 at the beginning of such chapter 42 is amended by adding 

7 at the end the following: 

‘‘4216. Employment training assistance for unemployed veterans.’’. 

8 SEC. 7. USE OF ENTITLEMENT UNDER POST-9/11 EDU9 CATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR APPRENTICE10 SHIPS AND ON-JOB TRAINING. 

11 (a) ENTITLEMENT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 33 

13 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by in14 serting after section 3319 the following new section: 

15 ‘‘§ 3319A. Apprenticeships and on-job training 

16 ‘‘(a) MONTHLY BENEFIT.—Except as provided in 

17 subsections (b) and (c), the amount of the monthly benefit 

18 payment to an individual pursuing a full-time program of 

19 apprenticeship or other on-job training under this chapter 

20 is— 

21 ‘‘(1) for each of the first six months of the indi22 vidual’s pursuit of such program, 75 percent of the 

23 monthly benefit payment otherwise payable to such 

24 individual under this chapter; 


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1 ‘‘(2) for each of the second six months of the 

2 individual’s pursuit of such program, 55 percent of 

3 such monthly benefit payment; and 

4 ‘‘(3) for each of the months following the first 

5 12 months of the individual’s pursuit of such pro6 gram, 35 percent of such monthly benefit payment. 

7 ‘‘(b) REDUCTION.—In any month in which an indi8 vidual pursuing a program of education consisting of a 

9 program of apprenticeship or other on-job training fails 

10 to complete 120 hours of training, the amount of the 

11 monthly benefit payment payable under this chapter to the 

12 individual shall be limited to the same proportion of the 

13 applicable rate determined under subsection (a) as the 

14 number of hours worked during such month, rounded to 

15 the nearest eight hours, bears to 120 hours. 

16 ‘‘(c) HOUSING ALLOWANCE.—An individual receiving 

17 a monthly benefit pursuant to this section shall receive 

18 a monthly housing stipend amount equal to the monthly 

19 amount of the basic allowance for housing payable under 

20 section 403 of title 37 for a member with dependents in 

21 pay grade E–5 residing in the military housing area that 

22 encompasses all or the majority portion of the ZIP code 

23 area in which the individual resides. 

24 ‘‘(d) CHARGE TO ENTITLEMENT.—For each month 

25 that an individual is paid a monthly benefit payment 


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1 under this chapter, the individual’s entitlement under this 

2 chapter shall be charged at the rate of— 

3 ‘‘(1) 75 percent of a month in the case of pay4 ments made in accordance with subsection (a)(1); 

5 ‘‘(2) 55 percent of a month in the case of pay6 ments made in accordance with subsection (a)(2); 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(3) 35 percent of a month in the case of pay9 ments made in accordance with subsection (a)(3). 

10 ‘‘(e) REDUCED CHARGE TO ENTITLEMENT.—For 

11 any month in which an individual fails to complete 120 

12 hours of training, the entitlement otherwise chargeable 

13 under subsection (d) shall be reduced in the same propor14 tion as the monthly benefit payment payable is reduced 

15 under subsection (b).’’. 

16 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec17 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 

18 by inserting after the item relating to section 3319 

19 the following new item: 

‘‘3319A. Apprenticeships and on-job training.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 3313 of 

21 such title is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or section 

23 3319A of this title’’ after ‘‘subsections (e) and (f)’’; 

24 and 


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1 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(b) APPROVED PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.—A pro4 gram of education is an approved program of education 

5 for purposes of this chapter if the program of education— 

6 ‘‘(1) is— 

7 ‘‘(A) offered by an institution of higher 

8 learning (as that term is defined in section 

9 3452(f) of this title); and 

10 ‘‘(B) approved for purposes of chapter 30 

11 of this title (including approval by the State ap12 proving agency concerned); or 

13 ‘‘(2) in the case of an individual who is not 

14 serving on active duty, includes a program of ap15 prenticeship or of other on-job training approved as 

16 provided in paragraph (1) or (2), as appropriate, of 

17 section 3687(a) of this title.’’. 

18 (c) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 3002(3)(C) 

19 of such title is amended by striking ‘‘clause’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘paragraph’’. 

21 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 this section shall take effect as if included in the enact23 ment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance 

24 Act of 2008 (title V of Public Law 110–252). 


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1 SEC. 8. VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS GRANT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) GRANT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

5 Affairs shall, in consultation with the Secretary of 

6 Labor and the Secretary of the Interior, establish a 

7 program to award grants to States to establish vet8 erans conservation corps. 

9 (2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a 

10 grant awarded to a State under this section in any 

11 year may not exceed $250,000. 

12 (b) VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS.—For pur13 poses of this section, a veterans conservation corps is a 

14 corps that— 

15 (1) is established by a State— 

16 (A) within the veterans agency of the 

17 State; or 

18 (B) in affiliation with the veterans agency 

19 of the State; and 

20 (2) provides veterans with volunteer and em21 ployment opportunities with respect to conservation 

22 projects for one or more of the following: 

23 (A) To restore natural habitat. 

24 (B) To maintain Federal, State, or local— 

25 (i) forest lands; 

26 (ii) parks and reserves; and 


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1 (iii) other reservations, water, and 

2 outdoor lands. 

3 (C) To maintain and improve urban and 

4 suburban storm water management facilities 

5 and other water management facilities. 

6 (D) To carry out hazardous materials and 

7 spills response, energy efficiency and other envi8 ronmental maintenance, stewardship, and res9 toration projects. 

10 (c) TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND CERTIFICATION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State receiving a grant 

12 under this section to establish a veterans conserva13 tion corps shall ensure that such corps incorporates 

14 into the volunteer and employment opportunities 

15 provided by such corps training, education, and cer16 tification in environmental restoration and manage17 ment fields. 

18 (2) CONSULTATION.—Such State shall ensure 

19 that, in incorporating training, education, and cer20 tification into volunteer and employment opportuni21 ties under paragraph (1), the veterans conservation 

22 corps consults with the following: 

23 (A) State and local workforce investment 

24 boards. 


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1 (B) Local institutions of higher education, 

2 including community colleges. 

3 (C) Private schools. 

4 (D) State or local agencies, including State 

5 employment agencies and State forest services. 

6 (E) Labor organizations. 

7 (F) Business involved in the environmental 

8 industry. 

9 (G) Such other entities as the Secretary of 

10 Veterans Affairs considers appropriate. 

11 (d) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.—A State receiving a 

12 grant under this section to establish a veterans conserva13 tion corps shall ensure that such corps partners with one14 stop centers, State and local workforce investment boards, 

15 and other State agencies to assist veterans enrolled in 

16 such corps in obtaining employment in the fields of envi17 ronmental restoration and management, and other related 

18 fields. 

19 (e) SERVICES.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State receiving a grant 

21 under this section to establish a veterans conserva22 tion corps shall ensure that such corps— 

23 (A) assesses of the veterans participating 

24 in the Corps the skills to help such veterans 

25 identify appropriate employment opportunities 


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1 in their local communities that utilize the skills 

2 they developed while in the Armed Forces; 

3 (B) assists with or provides referrals for 

4 obtaining benefits available to veterans; 

5 (C) facilitates internships or job shadowing 

6 for veterans; and 

7 (D) matches veterans with conservation 

8 projects that are aligned with the goals of the 

9 veterans. 

10 (2) PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE AND LOCAL

11 WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS.—In carrying out 

12 subparagraph (A) and (C) of paragraph (1), the 

13 State shall partner with State and local workforce 

14 investment boards. 

15 (f) REPORTS.—Each State receiving a grant under 

16 this section shall submit to the Secretary and the appro17 priate committees of Congress a report on the perform18 ance of the veterans conservation corps of such State, in19 cluding the following: 

20 (1) A description of how the grant amount was 

21 used. 

22 (2) An assessment of the performance of such 

23 corps, including a description of the current veterans 

24 labor market in such State and the veterans labor 

25 market in such State in the previous year. 


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1 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON3 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con4 gress’’ means— 

5 (A) the Committee on Appropriations and 

6 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen7 ate; and 

8 (B) the Committee on Appropriations and 

9 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

10 House of Representatives. 

11 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

12 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

13 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

15 (3) ONE-STOP CENTER.—The term ‘‘one-stop 

16 center’’ means a one-stop center described in section 

17 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

18 U.S.C. 2864(c)). 

19 (4) STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE INVEST20 MENT BOARDS.—The term ‘‘State and local work21 force investment boards’’ means a State workforce 

22 investment board and a local workforce investment 

23 board as such terms are defined in section 101 of 

24 the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

25 2801). 


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1 SEC. 9. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN REFORMING HIGHER 

2 EDUCATION TO AFFORD ACADEMIC CREDIT 

3 FOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

6 Affairs shall, in consultation with the Assistant Sec7 retary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and 

8 Training, establish a center of excellence for the 

9 purpose described in paragraph (2). 

10 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose described in this 

11 paragraph is the support of research, development, 

12 planning, implementation, and evaluation of methods 

13 for educational institutions to afford academic credit 

14 for military experience and training to— 

15 (A) veterans who were discharged or re16 leased from service in the Armed Forces not 

17 more than 48 months before applying for ad18 mission to a program of education at such insti19 tutions; or 

20 (B) members of the reserve components of 

21 the Armed Forces. 

22 (b) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, acting 

24 through the center of excellence, award grants to or 

25 enter into contracts with eligible institutions for the 

26 purpose described in subsection (a)(2). 


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1 (2) MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—The 

2 Secretary may not award a grant or contract under 

3 this section in an amount that is less than 

4 $2,000,000 or more than $5,000,000. 

5 (c) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—For purposes of this 

6 section, an eligible institution is any partnership that— 

7 (1) meets such requirements as the Secretary 

8 may specify for purposes of this section; and 

9 (2) consists of an institution of higher edu10 cation and one or more of the following: 

11 (A) A community college. 

12 (B) A university teaching hospital. 

13 (C) A military installation, including a fa14 cility of the National Guard. 

15 (D) A Department of Veterans Affairs 

16 medical center. 

17 (E) A military medical treatment facility. 

18 (d) SELECTION OF GRANT AND CONTRACT RECIPI19 ENTS.— 

20 (1) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution seek21 ing a grant or contract under this section shall sub22 mit to the Secretary an application therefor in such 

23 form and in such manner as the Secretary considers 

24 appropriate. 


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1 (2) PRIORITY FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.—In 

2 selecting applicants for a grant or contract under 

3 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to ap4 plicants who include as a partner an institution of 

5 higher education or other educational institution 

6 that— 

7 (A) affords appropriate recognition to mili8 tary experience and training in screening can9 didates for admission to such institution; 

10 (B) has an established practice of, or pro11 poses to establish a practice of, affording appro12 priate academic credit for military experience 

13 and training; 

14 (C) if the applicant proposes to establish a 

15 practice as described in subparagraph (B), in16 cludes with the application submitted by the ap17 plicant under paragraph (1) a review of such 

18 plan by a professional organization; 

19 (D) has established a professional develop20 ment and delivery system using evidence-based 

21 practices; or 

22 (E) has demonstrated experience working 

23 with the Department of Defense or the Depart24 ment of Veterans Affairs. 


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1 (3) STANDARDS, PROCEDURES, AND DISTRIBU2 TION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall, by regulation, 

3 establish application and evaluation standards and 

4 procedures and such other forms, standards, defini5 tions, and procedures as the Secretary determines to 

6 be appropriate for purposes of this section. 

7 (e) USE OF GRANTS AND CONTRACT FUNDS.—Each 

8 eligible institution receiving a grant or contract under this 

9 section shall use the grant or contract for one or more 

10 of the following: 

11 (1) To develop or implement a plan to modify 

12 programs of education and admissions programs at 

13 institutions of higher education to afford academic 

14 credit to veterans and members described in sub15 section (a)(2). 

16 (2) To develop standards for the identification 

17 of military experience and training in individuals ap18 plying for enrollment at institutions of higher edu19 cation. 

20 (3) To train professors, educators, and instruc21 tors at institutions of higher education on means of 

22 best teaching students at such institutions with mili23 tary experience and training. 


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1 (4) To develop curriculum for institutions of 

2 higher education that are appropriately tailored to 

3 individuals with military experience and training. 

4 (5) To develop admissions and recruitment 

5 guidelines for institutions of higher education to at6 tract veterans and members described in subsection 

7 (a)(2) and afford them appropriate recognition for 

8 military experience and training in their admissions 

9 processes. 

10 (6) To establish a program, method, or stand11 ards to be utilized by institutions of higher edu12 cation for assessing the education and training of 

13 veterans and members described in subsection (a)(2) 

14 during the pursuit of a program of education and at 

15 the completion of such program. 

16 (f) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION DE17 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘institution of higher 

18 education’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

19 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

20 1001(a)). 

21 SEC. 10. PUBLICATION OF DATA ON EMPLOYMENT OF CER22 TAIN VETERANS BY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS. 

23 Section 4212(d) of title 38, United States Code, is 

24 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Labor shall establish and 

2 maintain an Internet website that publicly discloses the 

3 information reported by contractors to the Secretary of 

4 Labor under paragraph (1).’’. 

5 SEC. 11. MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PRO6 GRAMS. 

7 (a) MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PRO8 GRAMS.—Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 

9 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(f) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MILITARY PATH12 WAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, 

14 after consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af15 fairs and the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a 

16 demonstration program and carry out the program 

17 by making grants, on a competitive basis, to not 

18 more than 5 entities for demonstration projects. The 

19 projects shall be designed to test the feasibility of 

20 methods of enabling transitioning military members 

21 to build on the technical skills learned in many mili22 tary jobs, to enter the information technology work23 force or continue their skills development in the in24 formation technology disciplines to meet the demand 

25 for information technology workforce readiness in 


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1 computer specialist and related information tech2 nology jobs. 

3 ‘‘(2) ISSUES TO BE EXAMINED.—In carrying 

4 out the program, the Secretary may examine the 

5 feasibility of methods such as the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) Methods to improve the transitions, 

7 skills development, and employment of 

8 transitioning military members for and in infor9 mation technology occupations with wages suffi10 cient to support families. 

11 ‘‘(B) Methods to align the information 

12 technology skills acquired in military occupa13 tions with skills required in civilian information 

14 technology occupations in new, emerging, or 

15 viable industries, including aligning the skills— 

16 ‘‘(i) using guidelines for assessments 

17 and credentials that employers value in the 

18 hiring process, and credentials that are in19 dustry-recognized and approved by the 

20 Secretary; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) by means that may include the 

22 use of a modified or enhanced Department 

23 of Defense transition program or a De24 partment of Labor transition program, 


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1 such as the program carried out under 

2 chapter 41 of title 38, United States Code. 

3 ‘‘(C) Methods to ensure that military mem4 bers receive education and training, including 

5 training through registered apprenticeship pro6 grams, and necessary support services, that are 

7 flexible, available (including available for de8 ployed military members), adequate for individ9 uals seeking to make the transition to civilian 

10 information technology occupations, and con11 sistent with academic requirements of the insti12 tution involved. 

13 ‘‘(D) Methods to enable military members 

14 to accelerate application for admission, accept15 ance, and graduation as students in computer 

16 science, engineering, and related disciplines at 

17 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher edu18 cation, based on military credentials and experi19 ence. 

20 ‘‘(E) Methods to help military members 

21 obtain information technology credentials that 

22 are industry-recognized, are approved by the 

23 Secretary, and satisfy both military require24 ments and civilian requirements, prior to re25 lease of the members from the military. 


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1 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

2 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit 

3 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

4 manner, and containing such information as the Sec5 retary may require, including each of the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) An assurance that the entity agrees 

7 that, in carrying out the project, the entity will 

8 work in conjunction with a local board and 

9 enter into a partnership that includes, as prin10 cipal partners, employers, labor organizations, 

11 postsecondary education institutions including 

12 institutions of higher education, veterans serv13 ice organizations, and other community organi14 zations. 

15 ‘‘(B) Information— 

16 ‘‘(i) demonstrating the capability of 

17 the entity in working with transitioning 

18 military members; 

19 ‘‘(ii) demonstrating that the entity 

20 has a history of effective collaboration 

21 with— 

22 ‘‘(I) the information technology 

23 industry or an industry with signifi24 cant information technology jobs; 


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1 ‘‘(II) State boards or local 

2 boards, as appropriate; and 

3 ‘‘(III) institutions of higher edu4 cation and other information tech5 nology educators or trainers; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) demonstrating knowledge of 

7 training and best practices of the informa8 tion technology industry. 

9 ‘‘(C) An assurance that the entity will par10 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 

11 the demonstration program, including partici12 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

13 ‘‘(4) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In order to select 

14 entities to receive grants for projects under this sub15 section, the Secretary shall establish selection cri16 teria consistent with this subsection and shall ensure 

17 that the criteria give priority to each of the following 

18 types of entities: 

19 ‘‘(A) Entities that demonstrate the ability 

20 to leverage public or private funds to sustain 

21 such a project after the grant period. 

22 ‘‘(B) Entities that have relationships with 

23 institutions of higher education or with quali24 fied community-based organizations that pro25 vide training. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Entities that have relationships with 

2 employers, labor organizations, and other enti3 ties that will provide earn and learn opportuni4 ties to veterans. 

5 ‘‘(D) Entities that have experience working 

6 with veterans and facilitating transitions from 

7 military to civilian work environments. 

8 ‘‘(E) Entities that have experience design9 ing contextualized learning programs that inte10 grate basic adult education with skills training. 

11 ‘‘(5) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL

12 ASSISTANCE.—Using not more than 10 percent of 

13 the amount made available to carry out this sub14 section, the Secretary may— 

15 ‘‘(A) conduct an evaluation to determine 

16 promising methods of increasing the number of 

17 highly skilled transitioning military members 

18 who enter civilian information technology occu19 pations and earn wages sufficient to support 

20 families; and 

21 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance to enti22 ties receiving grants under this subsection, re23 lating to the promising methods. 

24 ‘‘(6) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare 

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1 gress and Federal agencies a final report on the 

2 findings and outcomes of the demonstration program 

3 carried out under this subsection. The Secretary 

4 shall broadly distribute the report through the vet5 erans service organizations, State boards, and local 

6 boards. 

7 ‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

8 ‘‘(A) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.—The 

9 term ‘information technology’ means any equip10 ment or interconnected system or subsystem of 

11 equipment— 

12 ‘‘(i) used in the automatic acquisition, 

13 storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, 

14 management, movement, control, display, 

15 switching, interchange, transmission, or re16 ception of data or information; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) includes the following: 

18 ‘‘(I) Computers. 

19 ‘‘(II) Ancillary equipment for 

20 computers (including imaging periph21 erals, and input, output, and storage 

22 devices necessary for security and sur23 veillance). 


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1 ‘‘(III) Peripheral equipment de2 signed to be controlled by the central 

3 processing unit of a computer. 

4 ‘‘(IV) Software. 

5 ‘‘(V) Computer services (includ6 ing support services). 

7 ‘‘(VI) Other computer-related re8 sources. 

9 ‘‘(B) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU10 CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu11 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec12 tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

13 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

14 ‘‘(C) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.—The 

15 term ‘postsecondary education’ means— 

16 ‘‘(i) a 4-year program of instruction, 

17 or not less than a 1-year program of in18 struction that is acceptable for credit to19 ward a baccalaureate degree or an asso20 ciate degree, offered by an institution of 

21 higher education; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) a certificate or registered appren23 ticeship program at the postsecondary level 

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1 cation, a nonprofit educational institution, 

2 or a labor-management partnership. 

3 ‘‘(D) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO4 GRAM.—The term ‘registered apprenticeship 

5 program’ means an industry skills training pro6 gram at the postsecondary level that— 

7 ‘‘(i) combines technical and theoretical 

8 training through structured on-the-job 

9 learning with related instruction (in a 

10 classroom or through distance learning); 

11 ‘‘(ii) provides the training and in12 struction while an individual is employed, 

13 working under the direction of qualified 

14 personnel or a mentor, and earning incre15 mental wage increases aligned to enhance 

16 job proficiency; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) enables participants to acquire a 

18 nationally recognized and portable certifi19 cate, under a plan approved by the Office 

20 of Apprenticeship of the Department of 

21 Labor or a State agency recognized by the 

22 Secretary of Labor. 

23 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

25 this subsection $10,000,000 for each fiscal year. 


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1 ‘‘(g) NURSING, PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALLIED

2 HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

3 MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, 

5 after consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af6 fairs, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Health 

7 and Human Services, shall establish a demonstration 

8 program and carry out the program by making 

9 grants, on a competitive basis, to not more than 5 

10 entities for demonstration projects. The projects 

11 shall be designed to test the feasibility of methods 

12 of enabling transitioning military members to build 

13 on the technical skills learned in many military jobs, 

14 to enter the nursing, public health and allied health 

15 professional, and physician assistant workforces or 

16 continue their skills development in disciplines re17 lated to those workforces to meet the demand for 

18 nurses, public health and allied health professionals, 

19 and physician assistants. 

20 ‘‘(2) ISSUES TO BE EXAMINED.—In carrying 

21 out the program, the Secretary may examine the 

22 feasibility of methods such as the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) Methods to improve the transitions, 

24 skills development, and employment of 

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1 ing, public health and allied health professional, 

2 and physician assistant occupations with wages 

3 sufficient to support families. 

4 ‘‘(B) Methods to align nursing, public 

5 health and allied health professional, and physi6 cian assistant skills acquired in military occupa7 tions with skills required in related civilian 

8 health occupations, including aligning the 

9 skills— 

10 ‘‘(i) using guidelines for assessments 

11 and credentials that employers value in the 

12 hiring process, and credentials that are in13 dustry-recognized and approved by the 

14 Secretary; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) by means that may include the 

16 use of a modified or enhanced Department 

17 of Defense transition program or a De18 partment of Labor transition program, 

19 such as the program carried out under 

20 chapter 41 of title 38, United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(C) Methods to ensure that military mem22 bers receive education and training, including 

23 training through registered apprenticeship pro24 grams, and necessary support services, that are 

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1 ployed military members), adequate for individ2 uals seeking to make the transition to civilian 

3 nursing, public health and allied health, and 

4 physician assistant occupations, and consistent 

5 with academic requirements of the institution 

6 involved. 

7 ‘‘(D) Methods to align education and train8 ing programs, including registered apprentice9 ship programs, for veterans in nursing, public 

10 health and allied health professional, and physi11 cian assistant occupations with education and 

12 training programs for those occupations that 

13 are provided for the public. 

14 ‘‘(E) Methods to enable military members 

15 to accelerate application for admission, accept16 ance, and graduation as students in nursing, 

17 public health and allied health, and physician 

18 assistant disciplines at 2-year and 4-year insti19 tutions of higher education, based on military 

20 credentials and experience. 

21 ‘‘(F) Methods to help military members ob22 tain credentials related to those health care oc23 cupations that are industry-recognized, are ap24 proved by the Secretary, and satisfy both mili25 tary requirements and civilian requirements, 


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1 prior to release of the members from the mili2 tary. 

3 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

4 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit 

5 an application to the Secretary of such time, in such 

6 manner, and containing such information as the Sec7 retary may require including each of the following: 

8 ‘‘(A) An assurance that the entity agrees 

9 that, in carrying out the project, the entity will 

10 work in conjunction with a local board and 

11 enter into a partnership that includes, as prin12 cipal partners, employers, labor organizations, 

13 postsecondary education institutions including 

14 institutions of higher education, veterans serv15 ice organizations, and other community organi16 zations. 

17 ‘‘(B) Information— 

18 ‘‘(i) in demonstrating the capability of 

19 the entity in working with transitioning 

20 military members; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) demonstrating that the entity 

22 has a history of effective collaboration 

23 with— 

24 ‘‘(I) health care employers; 


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1 ‘‘(II) State boards or local 

2 boards, as appropriate; and 

3 ‘‘(III) institutions of higher edu4 cation and other nursing, public 

5 health and allied health professional, 

6 and physician assistant educators or 

7 trainers; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) demonstrating knowledge of 

9 training and best practices of the health 

10 care industry. 

11 ‘‘(C) An assurance that the entity will par12 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 

13 the demonstration program, including partici14 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

15 ‘‘(4) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In order to select 

16 entities to receive grants for projects under this sub17 section, the Secretary shall establish selection cri18 teria consistent with this subsection and shall ensure 

19 that the criteria give priority to entities that dem20 onstrate the ability to leverage of public or private 

21 funds to sustain such a project after the grant pe22 riod. 

23 ‘‘(5) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL

24 ASSISTANCE.—Using not more than 10 percent of 


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1 the amount made available to carry out this sub2 section, the Secretary may— 

3 ‘‘(A) conduct an evaluation to determine 

4 promising methods of increasing the number of 

5 highly skilled transitioning military members 

6 who enter civilian nursing, public health and al7 lied health, or physician assistant occupations 

8 and earn wages sufficient to support families; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance to enti11 ties receiving grants under this subsection, re12 lating to the promising methods. 

13 ‘‘(6) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare 

14 and submit to the appropriate committees of Con15 gress and Federal agencies a final report on the 

16 findings and outcomes of the demonstration program 

17 carried out under this subsection. The Secretary 

18 shall broadly distribute the report through the vet19 erans service organizations, State boards, and local 

20 boards. 

21 ‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

22 ‘‘(A) ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.— 

23 The term ‘allied health professional’ means a 

24 health professional (other than a registered 

25 nurse or physician assistant) who— 


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1 ‘‘(i) has received a certificate, an asso2 ciate degree, a baccalaureate degree, a 

3 master’s degree, a doctoral degree, or 

4 postbaccalaureate training, in a science re5 lating to health care; 

6 ‘‘(ii) shares in the responsibility for 

7 the delivery of health care services or re8 lated services, including— 

9 ‘‘(I) services relating to the iden10 tification, evaluation, and prevention 

11 of disease and disorders; 

12 ‘‘(II) dietary and nutrition serv13 ices; 

14 ‘‘(III) health promotion services; 

15 ‘‘(IV) rehabilitation services; or 

16 ‘‘(V) health systems management 

17 services; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) has not received— 

19 ‘‘(I) a degree of doctor of medi20 cine; 

21 ‘‘(II) a degree of doctor of oste22 opathy; 

23 ‘‘(III) a degree of doctor of den24 tistry or an equivalent degree; 


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1 ‘‘(IV) a degree of doctor of vet2 erinary medicine or an equivalent de3 gree; 

4 ‘‘(V) a degree of doctor of optom5 etry or an equivalent degree; 

6 ‘‘(VI) a degree of doctor of 

7 podiatric medicine or an equivalent 

8 degree; 

9 ‘‘(VII) a degree of bachelor of 

10 science in pharmacy or an equivalent 

11 degree; 

12 ‘‘(VIII) a degree of doctor of 

13 pharmacy or an equivalent degree; 

14 ‘‘(IX) a graduate degree in public 

15 health or an equivalent degree; 

16 ‘‘(X) a degree of doctor of chiro17 practic or an equivalent degree; 

18 ‘‘(XI) a graduate degree in 

19 health administration or an equivalent 

20 degree; 

21 ‘‘(XII) a doctoral degree in clin22 ical psychology or an equivalent de23 gree; 

24 ‘‘(XIII) a degree in social work 

25 or an equivalent degree; or 


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1 ‘‘(XIV) a degree in counseling or 

2 an equivalent degree. 

3 ‘‘(B) OTHER TERMS.—The terms ‘institu4 tion of higher education’, ‘postsecondary edu5 cation’, and ‘registered apprenticeship program’ 

6 have the meanings given the terms in sub7 section (f). 

8 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 this subsection $15,000,000 for each fiscal year.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 174(b)(1) 

12 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

13 2919(b)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than sub14 section (f) or (g) of section 171)’’ after ‘‘through 172’’. 

15 SEC. 12. VETERANS ENERGY-RELATED EMPLOYMENT PRO16 GRAM. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 168 of the Workforce In18 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2913) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub20 section (c); 

21 (2) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

24 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

25 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(D) activities described in subsection 

3 (b).’’; and 

4 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(b) VETERANS ENERGY-RELATED EMPLOYMENT

7 PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To encourage the em10 ployment of eligible veterans in the energy in11 dustry, the Secretary shall carry out a Veterans 

12 Energy-Related Employment Program as a 

13 pilot program and as a program described in 

14 subsection (a). 

15 ‘‘(B) GRANTS.—Under the pilot program, 

16 the Secretary shall award grants on a competi17 tive basis to 3 States for the establishment and 

18 administration of State Energy-Related Em19 ployment Programs. In administering such a 

20 program, the State shall make grants to energy 

21 employers and labor-management organizations 

22 that collectively provide covered training, on-job 

23 training, apprenticeships, and certification 

24 classes to eligible veterans. Such a program 


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1 may be referred to in this subsection as a ‘State 

2 program’. 

3 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS.—To be eligible 

4 to receive a grant under the pilot program, a State 

5 shall submit to the Secretary an application that in6 cludes each of the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) A proposal for the expenditure of 

8 grant funds to establish, and administer 

9 through a public-private partnership, a State 

10 Energy-Related Employment Program designed 

11 to provide covered training, on-job training, ap12 prenticeships, and certification classes to a sig13 nificant number of eligible veterans and ensure 

14 lasting and sustainable employment in well-pay15 ing jobs in the energy industry. 

16 ‘‘(B) Evidence that the State has— 

17 ‘‘(i) a population of eligible veterans, 

18 of an appropriate size for the State pro19 gram; 

20 ‘‘(ii) a robust and diverse energy in21 dustry; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) the ability to carry out the State 

23 program described in the proposal under 

24 subparagraph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(C) Such other information and assur2 ances as the Secretary may require. 

3 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that is the re4 cipient of a grant under this subsection shall use the 

5 grant funds for each of the following purposes: 

6 ‘‘(A) Making grants to energy employers 

7 and labor-management organizations to reim8 burse such employers and organizations for the 

9 cost of providing covered training, on-job train10 ing, apprenticeships, and certification classes to 

11 eligible veterans. 

12 ‘‘(B) Conducting outreach to inform en13 ergy employers, labor-management organiza14 tions, and veterans, including veterans in rural 

15 areas, of their eligibility or potential eligibility 

16 for participation in the State program. 

17 ‘‘(4) CONDITIONS.—Under the pilot program, 

18 each State that receives a grant under this sub19 section shall be subject to each of the following con20 ditions: 

21 ‘‘(A) REPAYMENT.—The State shall repay 

22 to the Secretary, on such date as shall be deter23 mined by the Secretary, any amount received 

24 under the pilot program that is not used for the 

25 purposes described in paragraph (3). 


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1 ‘‘(B) SUBMISSION OF REPORTS.—The 

2 State shall submit to the Secretary, at such 

3 times and containing such information as the 

4 Secretary shall require, reports on the use of 

5 the grant funds. 

6 ‘‘(5) EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS.—In order to 

7 receive a grant made by a State under the pilot pro8 gram, an energy employer seeking the grant shall, or 

9 a labor-management organization seeking such a 

10 grant shall (in coordination with the energy em11 ployer involved)— 

12 ‘‘(A) submit to the administrator of the 

13 State program an application that includes— 

14 ‘‘(i) the rate of pay for each eligible 

15 veteran proposed to be served using grant 

16 funds; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the average rate of pay for an in18 dividual employed by the energy employer 

19 in a similar position who is not an eligible 

20 veteran; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) such other information and as22 surances as the administrator may require; 

23 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) agree to submit to the administrator, 

2 for each quarter, a report containing such infor3 mation as the Secretary may specify. 

4 ‘‘(6) LIMITATION.—None of the funds made 

5 available to an energy employer or labor-manage6 ment organization through a grant under the pilot 

7 program may be used to provide services of any kind 

8 to a person who is not an eligible veteran. 

9 ‘‘(7) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary 

10 shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot pro11 gram. The Secretary shall submit the report to12 gether with the report required to be submitted an13 nually under section 4107(c) of title 38, United 

14 States Code, and with respect to the same year as 

15 is covered by such report. The report on the pilot 

16 program shall include a detailed description of ac17 tivities carried out under this subsection and an 

18 evaluation of the program. 

19 ‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE AND REPORTING

20 COSTS.—Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to 

21 the authorization of appropriations under paragraph 

22 (10), 2 percent shall be made available to the Sec23 retary for administrative costs associated with imple24 menting and evaluating the pilot program under this 

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1 port required under paragraph (7). The Secretary 

2 shall determine the appropriate maximum amount of 

3 each grant awarded under this subsection that may 

4 be used by the recipient for administrative and re5 porting costs. 

6 ‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

7 ‘‘(A) COVERED TRAINING, ON-JOB TRAIN8 ING, APPRENTICESHIPS, AND CERTIFICATION

9 CLASSES.—The term ‘covered training, on-job 

10 training, apprenticeships, and certification 

11 classes’ means training, on-job training, appren12 ticeships, and certification classes that are— 

13 ‘‘(i) designed to provide a veteran 

14 with skills that are particular to an energy 

15 industry and not directly transferable to 

16 employment in another industry; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) approved as provided in para18 graph (1) or (2), as appropriate, of sub19 section (a) of section 3687 of title 38, 

20 United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE VETERAN.—The term ‘eli22 gible veteran’ means a veteran described in sub23 section (a) who is employed by an energy em24 ployer and enrolled or participating in a covered 


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1 training, on-job training, apprenticeship, or cer2 tification class. 

3 ‘‘(C) ENERGY EMPLOYER.—The term ‘en4 ergy employer’ means an entity that employs in5 dividuals in a trade or business in an energy in6 dustry. 

7 ‘‘(D) ENERGY INDUSTRY.—The term ‘en8 ergy industry’ means any of the following in9 dustries: 

10 ‘‘(i) The energy-efficient building, con11 struction, or retrofits industry. 

12 ‘‘(ii) The renewable electric power in13 dustry, including the wind and solar en14 ergy industries. 

15 ‘‘(iii) The biofuels industry. 

16 ‘‘(iv) The energy efficiency assessment 

17 industry that serves the residential, com18 mercial, or industrial sector. 

19 ‘‘(v) The oil and natural gas industry. 

20 ‘‘(vi) The nuclear industry. 

21 ‘‘(10) APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 

22 to be appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for 

23 each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015, for the pur24 pose of carrying out the pilot program described in 

25 this subsection.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 174(a)(1) 

2 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

3 2919(a)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than section 

4 168(b))’’ after ‘‘168’’. 

5 SEC. 13. GRANTS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 

6 PERSONNEL TRAINING FOR VETERANS. 

7 Section 330J(c)(8) of the Public Health Service Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 254c–15(c)(8)) is amended by inserting before 

9 the period the following: ‘‘, including, as provided by the 

10 Secretary, may use funds to provide to military veterans 

11 required coursework and training that take into account, 

12 and are not duplicative of, previous medical coursework 

13 and training received when such veterans were active 

14 members of the Armed Forces, to enable such veterans 

15 to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certifi16 cation requirements, as determined by the appropriate 

17 State regulatory entity’’. 

18 SEC. 14. VETERANS TO WORK PILOT PROGRAM. 

19 (a) VETERANS TO WORK PROGRAM.—Subchapter III 

20 of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 

21 by inserting after section 2856 the following new section: 

22 ‘‘§ 2857. Veterans to Work pilot program 

23 ‘‘(a) PILOT PROGRAM; PURPOSES.—The Secretary of 

24 Defense shall carry out a pilot program (to be known as 

25 the ‘Veterans to Work pilot program’) to determine— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the maximum feasible extent to which ap2 prentices may be employed to work on military con3 struction projects designated under subsection (b); 

4 ‘‘(2) the maximum feasible extent to which the 

5 apprentices so employed are veterans; and 

6 ‘‘(3) the feasibility of expanding the employ7 ment of apprentices to military construction projects 

8 in addition to those projects designated under sub9 section (b). 

10 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF MILITARY CONSTRUCTION

11 PROJECTS FOR PILOT PROGRAM.—(1) For each of fiscal 

12 years 2011 through 2015, the Secretary of Defense shall, 

13 in consultation with the Secretaries of the military depart14 ments, designate for inclusion in the pilot program not less 

15 than 20 military construction projects (including unspec16 ified minor military construction projects under section 

17 2805(a) of this title) that will be conducted in that fiscal 

18 year. 

19 ‘‘(2) In designating military construction projects 

20 under this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) to the greatest extent possible, designate 

22 military construction projects that are located where 

23 there are veterans enrolled in qualified apprentice24 ship programs or veterans who could be enrolled in 


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1 qualified apprenticeship programs in a cost-effective, 

2 timely, and feasible manner; 

3 ‘‘(B) ensure geographic diversity among the 

4 military construction projects designated; and 

5 ‘‘(C) select projects to be carried out in the con6 tinental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puer7 to Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the 

8 United States Virgin Islands. 

9 ‘‘(3) Unspecified minor military construction projects 

10 may not exceed 40 percent of the military construction 

11 projects designated under this subsection for a fiscal year. 

12 ‘‘(c) CONTRACT PROVISIONS.—Any agreement that 

13 the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military 

14 department enters into for a military construction project 

15 that is designated for inclusion in the pilot program shall 

16 ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible, apprentices 

17 shall be employed on the project and that, to the maximum 

18 extent feasible, such apprentices shall be veterans. 

19 ‘‘(d) QUALIFIED APPRENTICESHIP AND OTHER

20 TRAINING PROGRAMS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) PARTICIPATION BY EACH CONTRACTOR RE22 QUIRED.—Each contractor and subcontractor that 

23 seeks to provide construction services on military 

24 construction projects designated by the Secretary of 

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1 quate assurances with its bid or proposal that it par2 ticipates in a qualified apprenticeship or other train3 ing program for each craft or trade classification of 

4 worker that it intends to employ to perform work on 

5 the project. 

6 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED APPRENTICESHIP OR OTHER

7 TRAINING PROGRAM DEFINED.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the 

9 term ‘qualified apprenticeship or other training 

10 program’ means an apprenticeship or other 

11 training program that qualifies as an employee 

12 welfare benefit plan, as defined in section 3(1) 

13 of the Employee Retirement Income Security 

14 Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002(1)). 

15 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION OF OTHER PRO16 GRAMS IN CERTAIN LOCALITIES.—In the event 

17 that the Secretary of Labor certifies that a 

18 qualified apprenticeship or other training pro19 gram (as defined in subparagraph (A)) for a 

20 craft or trade classification of workers that a 

21 prospective contractor or subcontractor intends 

22 to employ, is not operated in the locality where 

23 the project will be performed, an apprenticeship 

24 or other training program that is not an em25 ployee welfare benefit plan (as defined in such 


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1 section) may be certified by the Secretary as a 

2 qualified apprenticeship or other training pro3 gram provided it is registered with the Office of 

4 Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor, or 

5 a State apprenticeship agency recognized by the 

6 Office of Apprenticeship for Federal purposes. 

7 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—(1) Not later than 150 days after the 

8 end of each fiscal year during which the pilot program 

9 is active, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Con10 gress a report that includes the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) The progress of military construction 

12 projects designated pursuant to subsection (b) and 

13 the role of apprentices in achieving that progress. 

14 ‘‘(B) Any challenges, difficulties, or problems 

15 encountered in recruiting apprentices or in recruit16 ing veterans to become apprentices. 

17 ‘‘(C) Cost differentials in the designated mili18 tary construction projects when compared with simi19 lar projects completed contemporaneously, but not 

20 designated for the pilot program. 

21 ‘‘(D) Evaluation of benefits derived from em22 ploying apprentices, including the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) Workforce sustainability. 

24 ‘‘(ii) Workforce skills enhancement. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Increased short and long term cost2 effectiveness. 

3 ‘‘(iv) Improved veteran employment in sus4 tainable wage fields. 

5 ‘‘(E) Any additional benefits derived from em6 ploying apprentices and veteran apprentices. 

7 ‘‘(F) Recommendations on how to more effec8 tively employ apprentices in subsequent fiscal years. 

9 ‘‘(G) Any other information the Secretary of 

10 Defense considers appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(2) Not later than March 1, 2016, the Secretary of 

12 Defense shall submit to Congress a report that— 

13 ‘‘(A) analyzes the pilot program in terms of its 

14 effect on the sustainability of a workforce to meet 

15 the military construction needs of the Armed Forces; 

16 ‘‘(B) studies overall improvements in veteran 

17 employment in sustainable wage fields or profes18 sions; and 

19 ‘‘(C) makes recommendations on the continu20 ation, modification, or expansion of the pilot pro21 gram on the basis of such factors as the Secretary 

22 of Defense determines appropriate, including the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(i) Workforce sustainability. 

25 ‘‘(ii) Cost-effectiveness. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Community development. 

2 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 ‘‘(1) The term ‘apprentice’ means an individual 

4 who is employed pursuant to and individually reg5 istered in a ‘qualified apprenticeship or other train6 ing program,’ as defined in subsection (d)(2)(A) or 

7 other apprenticeship or training programs recog8 nized in accordance with subsection (d)(2)(B). 

9 ‘‘(2) The term ‘State’ means any of the several 

10 States, the District of Columbia, or territories of 

11 Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, 

12 and the United States Virgin Islands. 

13 ‘‘(3) The term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given 

14 such term under section 101(2) of title 38.’’. 

15 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

16 at the beginning of subchapter III of chapter 169 of such 

17 title is amended by inserting after the item relating to sec18 tion 2856 the following new item: 

‘‘2857. Veterans to Work pilot program.’’. 

19 SEC. 15. REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVE20 MENTS TO THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

21 PROGRAM TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF 

22 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND VET23 ERANS. 

24 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

25 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 


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1 of Defense and the Secretary of Labor, acting through the 

2 Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment 

3 and Training, shall jointly submit to the appropriate com4 mittees of Congress a report setting forth recommenda5 tions for improvements and enhancements of the Transi6 tion Assistance Program (TAP) in order to better meet 

7 the needs of members of the Armed Forces and veterans. 

8 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

9 (a) shall include the following: 

10 (1) A description and assessment of the extent 

11 to which the current Transition Assistance Program 

12 meets the needs of members of the Armed Forces 

13 and veterans. 

14 (2) Recommendations for improvements and en15 hancements of the Transition Assistance Program in 

16 order to ensure— 

17 (A) the comprehensiveness of the programs 

18 and activities under the program; and 

19 (B) the consistency of the programs and 

20 activities under the program across the Armed 

21 Forces and among the military installations at 

22 which the program is carried out. 

23 (3) Recommendations for improvements and en24 hancements of the Transition Assistance Program to 

25 ensure that the program meets the needs of veterans 


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1 residing in localities in the vicinity of military instal2 lations at which the program is carried out. 

3 (4) A description and assessment of the pro4 grams and activities offered to veterans who have 

5 completed participation in the Transition Assistance 

6 Program in order to further assist such veterans in 

7 their continuing transition from military life to civil8 ian life, and recommendations for programs and ac9 tivities to improve and enhance such assistance. 

10 (5) An estimate of the cost of implementing the 

11 recommendations set forth pursuant to paragraphs 

12 (2), (3), and (4) during the five fiscal years begin13 ning after the date of the submittal of the report. 

14 (6) Such other matters as the Secretary of De15 fense and the Secretary of Labor jointly consider ap16 propriate. 

17 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE18 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit19 tees of Congress’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

21 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

22 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

23 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

24 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

25 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 


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1 SEC. 16. STUDY ON PROGRAM OF TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

2 MODELED ON NATIONAL GUARD EMPLOY3 MENT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM OF THE 

4 WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD. 

5 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

7 of Defense shall complete a study of the National Guard 

8 Employment Enhancement Program of the Washington 

9 National Guard to assess the feasibility and advisability 

10 of carrying out a program of assistance modeled after such 

11 program for all members of reserve components of the 

12 Armed Forces who transition from activity military service 

13 to civilian life. 

14 (b) REPORT.—Upon completion of the study required 

15 by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appro16 priate committees of Congress a report that includes the 

17 following: 

18 (1) The findings of the Secretary as a result of 

19 the study. 

20 (2) The recommendation of the Secretary as to 

21 the feasibility and advisability of carrying out a pro22 gram of assistance as described in subsection (a). 

23 (3) If the Secretary determines that carrying 

24 out a program of assistance as described in sub25 section (a) is feasible and advisable, an estimate of 

26 the cost to implement the program of assistance. 


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1 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE2 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit3 tees of Congress’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

5 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

6 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

8 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

9 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 

Æ 


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