II 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3234 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 20, 2010 

Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. BEGICH, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

REID, Mr. DURBIN, and Ms. MURKOWSKI) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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

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

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

4 veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 was 21.6 

5 percent and the unemployment rate of female vet6 erans in the same age group was 19.2 percent. 

7 (3) The unemployment rate of veterans in all 

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

9 economic downturn that began in 2008. 

10 (4) In 2004, approximately 22 percent of vet11 erans were either purchasing or starting a new busi12 ness, or considering doing so. 

13 (5) One of the most critical problems identified 

14 by veteran small business owners is a lack of knowl15 edge about programs of assistance available to small 

16 businesses. 

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

18 range of technical skills during their time in the 

19 Armed Forces, but often find it difficult to transfer 

20 these skills into civilian professions. 

21 (7) The Commissioner of Labor Statistics esti22 mates that career opportunities in the fields of 

23 health care and information technology will expand 

24 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, in 

9 consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall es10 tablish a veterans business center program to pro11 vide entrepreneurial training and counseling to vet12 erans in accordance with this subsection. 

13 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Administrator shall ap14 point a Director of the veterans business center pro15 gram, who shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) implement and oversee the veterans 

17 business center program; and 

18 ‘‘(B) report directly to the Associate Ad19 ministrator. 

20 ‘‘(3) DESIGNATION OF VETERANS BUSINESS

21 CENTERS.—The Director shall— 

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

23 review, and notification process under which the 

24 Director may designate entities as veterans 

25 business centers for purposes of this section; 

26 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) information on the availability of 

12 mentoring services and referrals, as appro13 priate; and 

14 ‘‘(F) information on government procure15 ment assistance available to veterans. 

16 ‘‘(7) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

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

18 center receiving an initial grant or a growth 

19 funding grant shall provide a contribution, in 

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

21 of the amount of the grant. 

22 ‘‘(B) SOURCE OF CONTRIBUTION.—Not 

23 more than 25 percent of a contribution under 

24 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 ‘‘(f) PROGRAM OF APPRENTICESHIP DEFINED.—In 

17 this section, the term ‘program of apprenticeship’ means 

18 a program of apprenticeship registered under the Act of 

19 August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘National Ap20 prenticeship Act’; 50 Stat. 664; chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 

21 50 et seq.).’’. 

22 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec23 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 

24 by inserting after the item relating to section 3319 

25 the following new item: 

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


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 3313 of 

2 such title is amended— 

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

4 3319A of this title’’ after ‘‘subsections (e) and (f)’’; 

5 and 

6 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘(b) APPROVED PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.—A pro9 gram of education is an approved program of education 

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

11 ‘‘(1) is— 

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

13 learning (as that term is defined in section 

14 3452(f) of this title); and 

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

16 of this title (including approval by the State ap17 proving agency concerned); or 

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

19 serving on active duty, includes a program of ap20 prenticeship or of other on-job training approved as 

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

22 section 3687(a) of this title.’’. 

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

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

25 ‘‘paragraph’’. 


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

2 this section shall take effect as if included in the enact3 ment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance 

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

5 SEC. 8. VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS GRANT PRO6 GRAM. 

7 (a) GRANT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

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

9 Affairs shall, in consultation with the Secretary of 

10 Labor and the Secretary of the Interior, establish a 

11 program to award grants to States to establish vet12 erans conservation corps. 

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

14 grant awarded to a State under this section in any 

15 year may not exceed $250,000. 

16 (b) VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS.—For pur17 poses of this section, a veterans conservation corps is a 

18 corps that— 

19 (1) is established by a State— 

20 (A) within the veterans agency of the 

21 State; or 

22 (B) in affiliation with the veterans agency 

23 of the State; and 


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1 (2) provides veterans with volunteer and em2 ployment opportunities with respect to conservation 

3 projects for one or more of the following: 

4 (A) To restore natural habitat. 

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

6 (i) forest lands; 

7 (ii) parks and reserves; and 

8 (iii) other reservations, water, and 

9 outdoor lands. 

10 (C) To maintain and improve urban and 

11 suburban storm water management facilities 

12 and other water management facilities. 

13 (D) To carry out hazardous materials and 

14 spills response, energy efficiency and other envi15 ronmental maintenance, stewardship, and res16 toration projects. 

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

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

19 under this section to establish a veterans conserva20 tion corps shall ensure that such corps incorporates 

21 into the volunteer and employment opportunities 

22 provided by such corps training, education, and cer23 tification in environmental restoration and manage24 ment fields. 


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1 (2) CONSULTATION.—Such State shall ensure 

2 that, in incorporating training, education, and cer3 tification into volunteer and employment opportuni4 ties under paragraph (1), the veterans conservation 

5 corps consults with the following: 

6 (A) State and local workforce investment 

7 boards. 

8 (B) Local institutions of higher education, 

9 including community colleges. 

10 (C) Private schools. 

11 (D) State or local agencies, including State 

12 employment agencies and State forest services. 

13 (E) Labor organizations. 

14 (F) Business involved in the environmental 

15 industry. 

16 (G) Such other entities as the Secretary of 

17 Veterans Affairs considers appropriate. 

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

19 grant under this section to establish a veterans conserva20 tion corps shall ensure that such corps partners with one21 stop centers, State and local workforce investment boards, 

22 and other State agencies to assist veterans enrolled in 

23 such corps in obtaining employment in the fields of envi24 ronmental restoration and management, and other related 

25 fields. 


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1 (e) SERVICES.— 

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

3 under this section to establish a veterans conserva4 tion corps shall ensure that such corps— 

5 (A) assesses of the veterans participating 

6 in the Corps the skills to help such veterans 

7 identify appropriate employment opportunities 

8 in their local communities that utilize the skills 

9 they developed while in the Armed Forces; 

10 (B) assists with or provides referrals for 

11 obtaining benefits available to veterans; 

12 (C) facilitates internships or job shadowing 

13 for veterans; and 

14 (D) matches veterans with conservation 

15 projects that are aligned with the goals of the 

16 veterans. 

17 (2) PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE AND LOCAL

18 WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS.—In carrying out 

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

20 State shall partner with State and local workforce 

21 investment boards. 

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

23 this section shall submit to the Secretary and the appro24 priate committees of Congress a report on the performVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:52 Apr 21, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3234.IS S3234

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1 ance of the veterans conservation corps of such State, in2 cluding the following: 

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

4 used. 

5 (2) An assessment of the performance of such 

6 corps, including a description of the current veterans 

7 labor market in such State and the veterans labor 

8 market in such State in the previous year. 

9 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON11 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con12 gress’’ means— 

13 (A) the Committee on Appropriations and 

14 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen15 ate; and 

16 (B) the Committee on Appropriations and 

17 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

18 House of Representatives. 

19 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

21 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

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

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

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


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1 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

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

3 (4) STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE INVEST4 MENT BOARDS.—The term ‘‘State and local work5 force investment boards’’ means a State workforce 

6 investment board and a local workforce investment 

7 board as such terms are defined in section 101 of 

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

9 2801). 

10 SEC. 9. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN REFORMING HIGHER 

11 EDUCATION TO AFFORD ACADEMIC CREDIT 

12 FOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

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

15 Affairs shall, in consultation with the Assistant Sec16 retary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and 

17 Training, establish a center of excellence for the 

18 purpose described in paragraph (2). 

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

20 paragraph is the support of research, development, 

21 planning, implementation, and evaluation of methods 

22 for educational institutions to afford academic credit 

23 for military experience and training to— 

24 (A) veterans who were discharged or re25 leased from service in the Armed Forces not 


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1 more than 48 months before applying for ad2 mission to a program of education at such insti3 tutions; or 

4 (B) members of the reserve components of 

5 the Armed Forces. 

6 (b) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

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

8 through the center of excellence, award grants to or 

9 enter into contracts with eligible institutions for the 

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

11 (2) MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—The 

12 Secretary may not award a grant or contract under 

13 this section in an amount that is less than 

14 $2,000,000 or more than $5,000,000. 

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

16 section, an eligible institution is any partnership that— 

17 (1) meets such requirements as the Secretary 

18 may specify for purposes of this section; and 

19 (2) consists of an institution of higher edu20 cation and one or more of the following: 

21 (A) A community college. 

22 (B) A university teaching hospital. 

23 (C) A military installation, including a fa24 cility of the National Guard. 


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1 (D) A Department of Veterans Affairs 

2 medical center. 

3 (E) A military medical treatment facility. 

4 (d) SELECTION OF GRANT AND CONTRACT RECIPI5 ENTS.— 

6 (1) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution seek7 ing a grant or contract under this section shall sub8 mit to the Secretary an application therefor in such 

9 form and in such manner as the Secretary considers 

10 appropriate. 

11 (2) PRIORITY FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.—In 

12 selecting applicants for a grant or contract under 

13 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to ap14 plicants who include as a partner an institution of 

15 higher education or other educational institution 

16 that— 

17 (A) affords appropriate recognition to mili18 tary experience and training in screening can19 didates for admission to such institution; 

20 (B) has an established practice of, or pro21 poses to establish a practice of, affording appro22 priate academic credit for military experience 

23 and training; 

24 (C) if the applicant proposes to establish a 

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1 cludes with the application submitted by the ap2 plicant under paragraph (1) a review of such 

3 plan by a professional organization; 

4 (D) has established a professional develop5 ment and delivery system using evidence-based 

6 practices; or 

7 (E) has demonstrated experience working 

8 with the Department of Defense or the Depart9 ment of Veterans Affairs; 

10 (3) STANDARDS, PROCEDURES, AND DISTRIBU11 TION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall, by regulation, 

12 establish application and evaluation standards and 

13 procedures and such other forms, standards, defini14 tions, and procedures as the Secretary determines to 

15 be appropriate for purposes of this section. 

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

17 eligible institution receiving a grant or contract under this 

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

19 of the following: 

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

21 programs of education and admissions programs at 

22 institutions of higher education to afford academic 

23 credit to veterans and members described in sub24 section (a)(2). 


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1 (2) To develop standards for the identification 

2 of military experience and training in individuals ap3 plying for enrollment at institutions of higher edu4 cation. 

5 (3) To train professors, educators, and instruc6 tors at institutions of higher education on means of 

7 best teaching students at such institutions with mili8 tary experience and training. 

9 (4) To develop curriculum for institutions of 

10 higher education that are appropriately tailored to 

11 individuals with military experience and training. 

12 (5) To develop admissions and recruitment 

13 guidelines for institutions of higher education to at14 tract veterans and members described in subsection 

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

16 military experience and training in their admissions 

17 processes. 

18 (6) To establish a program, method, or stand19 ards to be utilized by institutions of higher edu20 cation for assessing the education and training of 

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

22 during the pursuit of a program of education and at 

23 the completion of such program. 

24 (f) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION DE25 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘institution of higher 


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

2 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

3 1001(a)). 

4 SEC. 10. PUBLICATION OF DATA ON EMPLOYMENT OF CER5 TAIN VETERANS BY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS. 

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

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

9 maintain an Internet website that publicly discloses the 

10 information reported by contractors to the Secretary of 

11 Labor under paragraph (1).’’. 

12 SEC. 11. MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PRO13 GRAMS. 

14 (a) MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PRO15 GRAMS.—Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 

16 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(f) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MILITARY PATH19 WAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

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

21 after consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af22 fairs and the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a 

23 demonstration program and carry out the program 

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

25 more than 5 entities for demonstration projects. The 


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1 projects shall be designed to test the feasibility of 

2 methods of enabling transitioning military members 

3 to build on the technical skills learned in many mili4 tary jobs, to enter the information technology work5 force or continue their skills development in the in6 formation technology disciplines to meet the demand 

7 for information technology workforce readiness in 

8 computer specialist and related information tech9 nology jobs. 

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

11 out the program, the Secretary may examine the 

12 feasibility of methods such as the following: 

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

14 skills development, and employment of 

15 transitioning military members for and in infor16 mation technology occupations with wages suffi17 cient to support families. 

18 ‘‘(B) Methods to align the information 

19 technology skills acquired in military occupa20 tions with skills required in civilian information 

21 technology occupations in new, emerging, or 

22 viable industries, including aligning the skills— 

23 ‘‘(i) using guidelines for assessments 

24 and credentials that employers value in the 

25 hiring process, and credentials that are inVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:52 Apr 21, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3234.IS S3234

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1 dustry-recognized and approved by the 

2 Secretary; and 

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

4 use of a modified or enhanced Department 

5 of Defense transition program or a De6 partment of Labor transition program, 

7 such as the program carried out under 

8 chapter 41 of title 38, United States Code. 

9 ‘‘(C) Methods to ensure that military mem10 bers receive education and training, including 

11 training through apprenticeship programs reg12 istered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (com13 monly known as the ‘National Apprenticeship 

14 Act’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 

15 et seq.) (referred to individually in this sub16 section as an ‘apprenticeship program’), and 

17 necessary support services, that are flexible, 

18 available (including available for deployed mili19 tary members), adequate for individuals seeking 

20 to make the transition to civilian information 

21 technology occupations, and consistent with 

22 academic requirements of the institution in23 volved. 

24 ‘‘(D) Methods to enable military members 

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1 ance, and graduation as students in computer 

2 science, engineering, and related disciplines at 

3 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher edu4 cation, based on military credentials and experi5 ence. 

6 ‘‘(E) Methods to help military members 

7 obtain information technology credentials that 

8 are industry-recognized, are approved by the 

9 Secretary, and satisfy both military require10 ments and civilian requirements, prior to re11 lease of the members from the military. 

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

13 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit 

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

15 manner, and containing such information as the Sec16 retary may require, including each of the following: 

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

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

19 work in conjunction with a local board and 

20 enter into a partnership that includes, as prin21 cipal partners, employers, labor organizations, 

22 postsecondary education institutions including 

23 institutions of higher education, veterans serv24 ice organizations, and other community organi25 zations. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Information— 

2 ‘‘(i) demonstrating the capability of 

3 the entity in working with transitioning 

4 military members; 

5 ‘‘(ii) demonstrating that the entity 

6 has a history of effective collaboration 

7 with— 

8 ‘‘(I) the information technology 

9 industry or an industry with signifi10 cant information technology jobs; 

11 ‘‘(II) State boards or local 

12 boards, as appropriate; and 

13 ‘‘(III) institutions of higher edu14 cation and other information tech15 nology educators or trainers; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) demonstrating knowledge of 

17 training and best practices of the informa18 tion technology industry. 

19 ‘‘(C) An assurance that the entity will par20 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 

21 the demonstration program, including partici22 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

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

24 entities to receive grants for projects under this sub25 section, the Secretary shall establish selection criVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:52 Apr 21, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3234.IS S3234

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1 teria consistent with this subsection and shall ensure 

2 that the criteria give priority to each of the following 

3 types of entities: 

4 ‘‘(A) Entities that demonstrate the ability 

5 to leverage public or private funds to sustain 

6 such a project after the grant period. 

7 ‘‘(B) Entities that have relationships with 

8 institutions of higher education or with quali9 fied community-based organizations that pro10 vide training. 

11 ‘‘(C) Entities that have relationships with 

12 employers, labor organizations, and other enti13 ties that will provide earn and learn opportuni14 ties to veterans. 

15 ‘‘(D) Entities that have experience working 

16 with veterans and facilitating transitions from 

17 military to civilian work environments. 

18 ‘‘(E) Entities that have experience design19 ing contextualized learning programs that inte20 grate basic adult education with skills training. 

21 ‘‘(5) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL

22 ASSISTANCE.—Using not more than 10 percent of 

23 the amount made available to carry out this sub24 section, the Secretary may— 


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1 ‘‘(A) conduct an evaluation to determine 

2 promising methods of increasing the number of 

3 highly skilled transitioning military members 

4 who enter civilian information technology occu5 pations and earn wages sufficient to support 

6 families; and 

7 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance to enti8 ties receiving grants under this subsection, re9 lating to the promising methods. 

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

11 and submit to the appropriate committees of Con12 gress and Federal agencies a final report on the 

13 findings and outcomes of the demonstration program 

14 carried out under this subsection. The Secretary 

15 shall broadly distribute the report through the vet16 erans service organizations, State boards, and local 

17 boards. 

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

19 ‘‘(A) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.—The 

20 term ‘information technology’ means any equip21 ment or interconnected system or subsystem of 

22 equipment— 

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

24 storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, 

25 management, movement, control, display, 


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1 switching, interchange, transmission, or re2 ception of data or information; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) includes the following: 

4 ‘‘(I) Computers. 

5 ‘‘(II) Ancillary equipment for 

6 computers (including imaging periph7 erals, and input, output, and storage 

8 devices necessary for security and sur9 veillance). 

10 ‘‘(III) Peripheral equipment de11 signed to be controlled by the central 

12 processing unit of a computer. 

13 ‘‘(IV) Software. 

14 ‘‘(V) Computer services (includ15 ing support services). 

16 ‘‘(VI) Other computer-related re17 sources. 

18 ‘‘(B) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU19 CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu20 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec21 tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

22 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

23 ‘‘(C) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.—The 

24 term ‘postsecondary education’ means— 


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

2 or not less than a 1-year program of in3 struction that is acceptable for credit to4 ward a baccalaureate degree or an asso5 ciate degree, offered by an institution of 

6 higher education; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) a certificate or apprenticeship 

8 program at the postsecondary level offered 

9 by an institution of higher education, a 

10 nonprofit educational institution, or a 

11 labor-management partnership. 

12 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

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

16 HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

17 MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

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

19 after consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af20 fairs, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Health 

21 and Human Services, shall establish a demonstration 

22 program and carry out the program by making 

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

24 entities for demonstration projects. The projects 

25 shall be designed to test the feasibility of methods 


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1 of enabling transitioning military members to build 

2 on the technical skills learned in many military jobs, 

3 to enter the nursing, public health and allied health 

4 professional, and physician assistant workforces or 

5 continue their skills development in disciplines re6 lated to those workforces to meet the demand for 

7 nurses, public health and allied health professionals, 

8 and physician assistants. 

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

10 out the program, the Secretary may examine the 

11 feasibility of methods such as the following: 

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

13 skills development, and employment of 

14 transitioning military members for and in nurs15 ing, public health and allied health professional, 

16 and physician assistant occupations with wages 

17 sufficient to support families. 

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

19 health and allied health professional, and physi20 cian assistant skills acquired in military occupa21 tions with skills required in related civilian 

22 health occupations, including aligning the 

23 skills— 

24 ‘‘(i) using guidelines for assessments 

25 and credentials that employers value in the 


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1 hiring process, and credentials that are in2 dustry-recognized and approved by the 

3 Secretary; and 

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

5 use of a modified or enhanced Department 

6 of Defense transition program or a De7 partment of Labor transition program, 

8 such as the program carried out under 

9 chapter 41 of title 38, United States Code. 

10 ‘‘(C) Methods to ensure that military mem11 bers receive education and training, including 

12 training through apprenticeship programs, and 

13 necessary support services, that are flexible, 

14 available (including available for deployed mili15 tary members), adequate for individuals seeking 

16 to make the transition to civilian nursing, pub17 lic health and allied health, and physician as18 sistant occupations, and consistent with aca19 demic requirements of the institution involved. 

20 ‘‘(D) Methods to align education and train21 ing programs, including apprenticeship pro22 grams, for veterans in nursing, public health 

23 and allied health professional, and physician as24 sistant occupations with education and training 


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1 programs for those occupations that are pro2 vided for the public. 

3 ‘‘(E) Methods to enable military members 

4 to accelerate application for admission, accept5 ance, and graduation as students in nursing, 

6 public health and allied health, and physician 

7 assistant disciplines at 2-year and 4-year insti8 tutions of higher education, based on military 

9 credentials and experience. 

10 ‘‘(F) Methods to help military members ob11 tain credentials related to those health care oc12 cupations that are industry-recognized, are ap13 proved by the Secretary, and satisfy both mili14 tary requirements and civilian requirements, 

15 prior to release of the members from the mili16 tary. 

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

18 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit 

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

20 manner, and containing such information as the Sec21 retary may require including each of the following: 

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

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

24 work in conjunction with a local board and 

25 enter into a partnership that includes, as prinVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:52 Apr 21, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3234.IS S3234

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1 cipal partners, employers, labor organizations, 

2 postsecondary education institutions including 

3 institutions of higher education, veterans serv4 ice organizations, and other community organi5 zations. 

6 ‘‘(B) Information— 

7 ‘‘(i) in demonstrating the capability of 

8 the entity in working with transitioning 

9 military members; 

10 ‘‘(ii) demonstrating that the entity 

11 has a history of effective collaboration 

12 with— 

13 ‘‘(I) health care employers; 

14 ‘‘(II) State boards or local 

15 boards, as appropriate; and 

16 ‘‘(III) institutions of higher edu17 cation and other nursing, public 

18 health and allied health professional, 

19 and physician assistant educators or 

20 trainers; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) demonstrating knowledge of 

22 training and best practices of the health 

23 care industry. 

24 ‘‘(C) An assurance that the entity will par25 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 


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1 the demonstration program, including partici2 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

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

4 entities to receive grants for projects under this sub5 section, the Secretary shall establish selection cri6 teria consistent with this subsection and shall ensure 

7 that the criteria give priority to entities that dem8 onstrate the ability to leverage of public or private 

9 funds to sustain such a project after the grant pe10 riod. 

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 nursing, public health and al19 lied health, or physician assistant occupations 

20 and earn wages sufficient to support families; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance to enti23 ties receiving grants under this subsection, re24 lating to the promising methods. 


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

2 and submit to the appropriate committees of Con3 gress and Federal agencies a final report on the 

4 findings and outcomes of the demonstration program 

5 carried out under this subsection. The Secretary 

6 shall broadly distribute the report through the vet7 erans service organizations, State boards, and local 

8 boards. 

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

10 ‘‘(A) ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.— 

11 The term ‘allied health professional’ means a 

12 health professional (other than a registered 

13 nurse or physician assistant) who— 

14 ‘‘(i) has received a certificate, an asso15 ciate degree, a baccalaureate degree, a 

16 master’s degree, a doctoral degree, or 

17 postbaccalaureate training, in a science re18 lating to health care; 

19 ‘‘(ii) shares in the responsibility for 

20 the delivery of health care services or re21 lated services, including— 

22 ‘‘(I) services relating to the iden23 tification, evaluation, and prevention 

24 of disease and disorders; 


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1 ‘‘(II) dietary and nutrition serv2 ices; 

3 ‘‘(III) health promotion services; 

4 ‘‘(IV) rehabilitation services; or 

5 ‘‘(V) health systems management 

6 services; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) has not received— 

8 ‘‘(I) a degree of doctor of medi9 cine; 

10 ‘‘(II) a degree of doctor of oste11 opathy; 

12 ‘‘(III) a degree of doctor of den13 tistry or an equivalent degree; 

14 ‘‘(IV) a degree of doctor of vet15 erinary medicine or an equivalent de16 gree; 

17 ‘‘(V) a degree of doctor of optom18 etry or an equivalent degree; 

19 ‘‘(VI) a degree of doctor of 

20 podiatric medicine or an equivalent 

21 degree; 

22 ‘‘(VII) a degree of bachelor of 

23 science in pharmacy or an equivalent 

24 degree; 


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1 ‘‘(VIII) a degree of doctor of 

2 pharmacy or an equivalent degree; 

3 ‘‘(IX) a graduate degree in public 

4 health or an equivalent degree; 

5 ‘‘(X) a degree of doctor of chiro6 practic or an equivalent degree; 

7 ‘‘(XI) a graduate degree in 

8 health administration or an equivalent 

9 degree; 

10 ‘‘(XII) a doctoral degree in clin11 ical psychology or an equivalent de12 gree; 

13 ‘‘(XIII) a degree in social work 

14 or an equivalent degree; or 

15 ‘‘(XIV) a degree in counseling or 

16 an equivalent degree. 

17 ‘‘(B) OTHER TERMS.—The terms ‘appren18 ticeship program’, ‘institution of higher edu19 cation’, and ‘postsecondary education’ have the 

20 meanings given the terms in subsection (f). 

21 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

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

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


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1 2919(b)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than sub2 section (f) or (g) of section 171)’’ after ‘‘through 172’’. 

3 SEC. 12. VETERANS ENERGY-RELATED EMPLOYMENT PRO4 GRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 168 of the Workforce In6 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2913) is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub8 section (c); 

9 (2) in subsection (a)— 

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

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

13 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(D) activities described in subsection 

16 (b).’’; and 

17 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(b) VETERANS ENERGY-RELATED EMPLOYMENT

20 PROGRAM.— 

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

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To encourage the em23 ployment of eligible veterans in the energy in24 dustry, the Secretary shall carry out a Veterans 

25 Energy-Related Employment Program as a 


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1 pilot program and as a program described in 

2 subsection (a). 

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

4 the Secretary shall award grants on a competi5 tive basis to 3 States for the establishment and 

6 administration of State Energy-Related Em7 ployment Programs. In administering such a 

8 program, the State shall make grants to energy 

9 employers and labor-management organizations 

10 that collectively provide covered training, on11 the-job training, apprenticeship programs reg12 istered as described in section 171(f)(2)(C) (re13 ferred to individually in this subsection as an 

14 ‘apprenticeship program’), and certification 

15 classes to eligible veterans. Such a program 

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

17 program’. 

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

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

20 shall submit to the Secretary an application that in21 cludes each of the following: 

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

23 grant funds to establish, and administer 

24 through a public-private partnership, a State 

25 Energy-Related Employment Program designed 


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1 to provide covered training, on-the-job training, 

2 apprenticeship programs, and certification 

3 classes to a significant number of eligible vet4 erans and ensure lasting and sustainable em5 ployment in well-paying jobs in the energy in6 dustry. 

7 ‘‘(B) Evidence that the State has— 

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

9 of an appropriate size for the State pro10 gram; 

11 ‘‘(ii) a robust and diverse energy in12 dustry; and 

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

14 program described in the proposal under 

15 subparagraph (A). 

16 ‘‘(C) Such other information and assur17 ances as the Secretary may require. 

18 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that is the re19 cipient of a grant under this subsection shall use the 

20 grant funds for each of the following purposes: 

21 ‘‘(A) Making grants to energy employers 

22 and labor-management organizations to reim23 burse such employers and organizations for the 

24 cost of providing covered training, on-the-job 


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1 training, apprenticeship programs, and certifi2 cation classes to eligible veterans. 

3 ‘‘(B) Conducting outreach to inform en4 ergy employers, labor-management organiza5 tions, and veterans, including veterans in rural 

6 areas, of their eligibility or potential eligibility 

7 for participation in the State program. 

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

9 each State that receives a grant under this sub10 section shall be subject to each of the following con11 ditions: 

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

13 to the Secretary, on such date as shall be deter14 mined by the Secretary, any amount received 

15 under the pilot program that is not used for the 

16 purposes described in paragraph (3). 

17 ‘‘(B) SUBMISSION OF REPORTS.—The 

18 State shall submit to the Secretary, at such 

19 times and containing such information as the 

20 Secretary shall require, reports on the use of 

21 the grant funds. 

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

23 receive a grant made by a State under the pilot pro24 gram, an energy employer seeking the grant shall, or 

25 a labor-management organization seeking such a 


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1 grant shall (in coordination with the energy em2 ployer involved)— 

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

4 State program an application that includes— 

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

6 veteran proposed to be served using grant 

7 funds; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the average rate of pay for an in9 dividual employed by the energy employer 

10 in a similar position who is not an eligible 

11 veteran; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) such other information and as13 surances as the administrator may require; 

14 and 

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

16 for each quarter, a report containing such infor17 mation as the Secretary may specify. 

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

19 available to an energy employer or labor-manage20 ment organization through a grant under the pilot 

21 program may be used to provide services of any kind 

22 to a person who is not an eligible veteran. 

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

24 shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot pro25 gram. The Secretary shall submit the report toVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:52 Apr 21, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3234.IS S3234

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1 gether with the report required to be submitted an2 nually under section 4107(c) of title 38, United 

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

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

5 program shall include a detailed description of ac6 tivities carried out under this subsection and an 

7 evaluation of the program. 

8 ‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE AND REPORTING

9 COSTS.—Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to 

10 the authorization of appropriations under paragraph 

11 (10), 2 percent shall be made available to the Sec12 retary for administrative costs associated with imple13 menting and evaluating the pilot program under this 

14 subsection and for preparing and submitting the re15 port required under paragraph (7). The Secretary 

16 shall determine the appropriate maximum amount of 

17 each grant awarded under this subsection that may 

18 be used by the recipient for administrative and re19 porting costs. 

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

21 ‘‘(A) COVERED TRAINING, ON-THE-JOB

22 TRAINING, APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, AND

23 CERTIFICATION CLASSES.—The term ‘covered 

24 training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship 

25 programs, and certification classes’ means 


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1 training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship 

2 programs, and certification classes that are— 

3 ‘‘(i) designed to provide a veteran 

4 with skills that are particular to an energy 

5 industry and not directly transferable to 

6 employment in another industry; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) approved as provided in para8 graph (1) or (2), as appropriate, of sub9 section (a) of section 3687 of title 38, 

10 United States Code. 

11 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE VETERAN.—The term ‘eli12 gible veteran’ means a veteran described in sub13 section (a) who is employed by an energy em14 ployer and enrolled or participating in a covered 

15 training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship 

16 program, or certification class. 

17 ‘‘(C) ENERGY EMPLOYER.—The term ‘en18 ergy employer’ means an entity that employs in19 dividuals in a trade or business in an energy in20 dustry. 

21 ‘‘(D) ENERGY INDUSTRY.—The term ‘en22 ergy industry’ means any of the following in23 dustries: 

24 ‘‘(i) The energy-efficient building, con25 struction, or retrofits industry. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The renewable electric power in2 dustry, including the wind and solar en3 ergy industries. 

4 ‘‘(iii) The biofuels industry. 

5 ‘‘(iv) The energy efficiency assessment 

6 industry that serves the residential, com7 mercial, or industrial sector. 

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

9 ‘‘(vi) The nuclear industry. 

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

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

12 each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015, for the pur13 pose of carrying out the pilot program described in 

14 this subsection.’’. 

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

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

17 2919(a)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than section 

18 168(b))’’ after ‘‘168’’. 

19 SEC. 13. GRANTS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 

20 PERSONNEL TRAINING FOR VETERANS. 

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

22 (42 U.S.C. 254c–15(c)(8)) is amended by inserting before 

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

24 Secretary, may use funds to provide to military veterans 

25 required coursework and training that take into account, 


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1 and are not duplicative of, previous medical coursework 

2 and training received when such veterans were active 

3 members of the Armed Forces, to enable such veterans 

4 to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certifi5 cation requirements, as determined by the appropriate 

6 State regulatory entity’’. 

7 SEC. 14. VETERANS TO WORK PILOT PROGRAM. 

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

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

10 by inserting after section 2856 the following new section: 

11 ‘‘§ 2857. Veterans to Work pilot program 

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

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

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

15 ‘‘(1) the maximum feasible extent to which ap16 prentices may be employed to work on military con17 struction projects designated under subsection (b); 

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

19 apprentices so employed are veterans; and 

20 ‘‘(3) the feasibility of expanding the employ21 ment of apprentices to military construction projects 

22 in addition to those projects designated under sub23 section (b). 

24 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF MILITARY CONSTRUCTION

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


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

2 in consultation with the Secretaries of the military depart3 ments, designate for inclusion in the pilot program not less 

4 than 20 military construction projects (including unspec5 ified minor military construction projects under section 

6 2805(a) of this title) that will be conducted in that fiscal 

7 year. 

8 ‘‘(2) In designating military construction projects 

9 under this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall— 

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

11 military construction projects that are located where 

12 there are veterans enrolled in qualified apprentice13 ship programs or veterans who could be enrolled in 

14 qualified apprenticeship programs in a cost-effective, 

15 timely, and feasible manner; 

16 ‘‘(B) ensure geographic diversity among the 

17 military construction projects designated; and 

18 ‘‘(C) select projects to be carried out in the con19 tinental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puer20 to Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the 

21 United States Virgin Islands. 

22 ‘‘(3) Unspecified minor military construction projects 

23 may not exceed 40 percent of the military construction 

24 projects designated under this subsection for a fiscal year. 


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

2 the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military 

3 department enters into for a military construction project 

4 that is designated for inclusion in the pilot program shall 

5 ensure that, to the maximum extent feasible, apprentices 

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

7 extent feasible, such apprentices shall be veterans. 

8 ‘‘(d) QUALIFIED APPRENTICESHIP AND OTHER

9 TRAINING PROGRAMS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) PARTICIPATION BY EACH CONTRACTOR RE11 QUIRED.—Each contractor and subcontractor that 

12 seeks to provide construction services on military 

13 construction projects designated by the Secretary of 

14 Defense pursuant to subsection (b) shall submit ade15 quate assurances with its bid or proposal that it par16 ticipates in a qualified apprenticeship or other train17 ing program for each craft or trade classification of 

18 worker that it intends to employ to perform work on 

19 the project. 

20 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED APPRENTICESHIP OR OTHER

21 TRAINING PROGRAM DEFINED.— 

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

23 term ‘qualified apprenticeship or other training 

24 program’ means an apprenticeship or other 

25 training program that qualifies as an employee 


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

2 of the Employee Retirement Income Security 

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

4 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION OF OTHER PRO5 GRAMS IN CERTAIN LOCALITIES.—In the event 

6 that the Secretary of Labor certifies that a 

7 qualified apprenticeship or other training pro8 gram (as defined in subparagraph (A)) for a 

9 craft or trade classification of workers that a 

10 prospective contractor or subcontractor intends 

11 to employ, is not operated in the locality where 

12 the project will be performed, an apprenticeship 

13 or other training program that is not an em14 ployee welfare benefit plan (as defined in such 

15 section) may be certified by the Secretary as a 

16 qualified apprenticeship or other training pro17 gram provided it is registered with the Office of 

18 Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor, or 

19 a State apprenticeship agency recognized by the 

20 Office of Apprenticeship for Federal purposes 

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

22 end of each fiscal year during which the pilot program 

23 is active, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Con24 gress a report that includes the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The progress of military construction 

2 projects designated pursuant to subsection (b) and 

3 the role of apprentices in achieving that progress. 

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

5 encountered in recruiting apprentices or in recruit6 ing veterans to become apprentices. 

7 ‘‘(C) Cost differentials in the designated mili8 tary construction projects when compared with simi9 lar projects completed contemporaneously, but not 

10 designated for the pilot program. 

11 ‘‘(D) Evaluation of benefits derived from em12 ploying apprentices, including the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) Workforce sustainability. 

14 ‘‘(ii) Workforce skills enhancement. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Increased short and long term cost16 effectiveness. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Improved veteran employment in sus18 tainable wage fields. 

19 ‘‘(E) Any additional benefits derived from em20 ploying apprentices and veteran apprentices. 

21 ‘‘(F) Recommendations on how to more effec22 tively employ apprentices in subsequent fiscal years. 

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

24 Defense considers appropriate. 


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

2 Defense shall submit to Congress a report that— 

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

4 effect on the sustainability of a workforce to meet 

5 the military construction needs of the Armed Forces; 

6 ‘‘(B) studies overall improvements in veteran 

7 employment in sustainable wage fields or profes8 sions; and 

9 ‘‘(C) makes recommendations on the continu10 ation, modification, or expansion of the pilot pro11 gram on the basis of such factors as the Secretary 

12 of Defense determines appropriate, including the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(i) Workforce sustainability. 

15 ‘‘(ii) Cost-effectiveness. 

16 ‘‘(iii) Community development. 

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

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

19 who is employed pursuant to and individually reg20 istered in a ‘qualified apprenticeship or other train21 ing program,’ as defined in subsection (d)(2)(A) or 

22 other apprenticeship or training programs recog23 nized in accordance with subsection (d)(2)(B). 

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

25 States, the District of Columbia, or territories of 


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1 Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, 

2 and the United States Virgin Islands. 

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

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

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

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

7 title is amended by inserting after the item relating to sec8 tion 2856 the following new item: 

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

9 SEC. 15. REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVE10 MENTS TO THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

11 PROGRAM TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF 

12 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND VET13 ERANS. 

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

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

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

17 Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment 

18 and Training, shall jointly submit to the appropriate com19 mittees of Congress a report setting forth recommenda20 tions for improvements and enhancements of the Transi21 tion Assistance Program (TAP) in order to better meet 

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

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

24 (a) shall include the following: 


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1 (1) A description and assessment of the extent 

2 to which the current Transition Assistance Program 

3 meets the needs of members of the Armed Forces 

4 and veterans. 

5 (2) Recommendations for improvements and en6 hancements of the Transition Assistance Program in 

7 order to ensure— 

8 (A) the comprehensiveness of the programs 

9 and activities under the program; and 

10 (B) the consistency of the programs and 

11 activities under the program across the Armed 

12 Forces and among the military installations at 

13 which the program is carried out. 

14 (3) Recommendations for improvements and en15 hancements of the Transition Assistance Program to 

16 ensure that the program meets the needs of veterans 

17 residing in localities in the vicinity of military instal18 lations at which the program is carried out. 

19 (4) A description and assessment of the pro20 grams and activities offered to veterans who have 

21 completed participation in the Transition Assistance 

22 Program in order to further assist such veterans in 

23 their continuing transition from military life to civil24 ian life, and recommendations for programs and ac25 tivities to improve and enhance such assistance. 


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

2 recommendations set forth pursuant to paragraphs 

3 (2), (3), and (4) during the five fiscal years begin4 ning after the date of the submittal of the report. 

5 (6) Such other matters as the Secretary of De6 fense and the Secretary of Labor jointly consider ap7 propriate. 

8 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE9 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit10 tees of Congress’’ means— 

11 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

12 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

13 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

14 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

15 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

16 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 

17 SEC. 16. STUDY ON PROGRAM OF TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

18 MODELED ON NATIONAL GUARD EMPLOY19 MENT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM OF THE 

20 WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD. 

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

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

23 of Defense shall complete a study of the National Guard 

24 Employment Enhancement Program of the Washington 

25 National Guard to assess the feasibility and advisability 


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1 of carrying out a program of assistance modeled after such 

2 program for all members of reserve components of the 

3 Armed Forces who transition from activity military service 

4 to civilian life. 

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

6 by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appro7 priate committees of Congress a report that includes the 

8 following: 

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

10 the study. 

11 (2) The recommendation of the Secretary as to 

12 the feasibility and advisability of carrying out a pro13 gram of assistance as described in subsection (a). 

14 (3) If the Secretary determines that carrying 

15 out a program of assistance as described in sub16 section (a) is feasible and advisable, an estimate of 

17 the cost to implement the program of assistance. 

18 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE19 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit20 tees of Congress’’ means— 

21 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

22 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

23 on Appropriations of the Senate; and 


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1 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

2 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee 

3 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 

Æ 


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