II 

Calendar No. 556 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3234 

[Report No. 111–285] 

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, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. WYDEN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. 

BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. LAUTENBERG, and 

Ms. CANTWELL) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 

Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of August 5, 2010, by 

Mr. AKAKA, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Employment 

3 Assistance Act of 2010’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

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

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

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

9 veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 was 21.6 

10 percent and the unemployment rate of female vet11 erans in the same age group was 19.2 percent. 

12 (3) The unemployment rate of veterans in all 

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

14 economic downturn that began in 2008. 

15 (4) In 2004, approximately 22 percent of vet16 erans were either purchasing or starting a new busi17 ness, or considering doing so. 

18 (5) One of the most critical problems identified 

19 by veteran small business owners is a lack of knowl20 edge about programs of assistance available to small 

21 businesses. 

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

23 range of technical skills during their time in the 

24 Armed Forces, but often find it difficult to transfer 

25 these skills into civilian professions. 


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1 (7) The Commissioner of Labor Statistics esti2 mates that career opportunities in the fields of 

3 health care and information technology will expand 

4 significantly in the coming decade. 

5 SEC. 3. VETERANS BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

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

7 Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended— 

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

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

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

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

12 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator, in 

13 consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall es14 tablish a veterans business center program to pro15 vide entrepreneurial training and counseling to vet16 erans in accordance with this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Administrator shall ap18 point a Director of the veterans business center pro19 gram, who shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) implement and oversee the veterans 

21 business center program; and 

22 ‘‘(B) report directly to the Associate Ad23 ministrator. 

24 ‘‘(3) DESIGNATION OF VETERANS BUSINESS

25 CENTERS.—The Director shall— 


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

2 review, and notification process under which the 

3 Director may designate entities as veterans 

4 business centers for purposes of this section; 

5 and 

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

7 as a veterans business center and the award of 

8 a grant to a veterans business center under this 

9 subsection. 

10 ‘‘(4) FUNDING FOR VETERANS BUSINESS CEN11 TERS.— 

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

13 make a grant to each veterans business center 

14 each year in the amount of $150,000. The Di15 rector may not make more than 5 grants under 

16 this subparagraph to a veterans business cen17 ter. 

18 ‘‘(B) GROWTH FUNDING GRANTS.—If a 

19 veterans business center has received 5 initial 

20 grants, the Director may make a grant to the 

21 veterans business center each year in the 

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

23 make more than 3 grants under this subpara24 graph to a veterans business center. 


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1 ‘‘(5) ACCOUNTABILITY.—Each veterans busi2 ness center receiving an initial grant or a growth 

3 funding grant shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) meet performance benchmarks (which 

5 shall be established by the Director for the vet6 erans business center and reflect the purposes 

7 of this subsection) to be eligible for an initial 

8 grant or growth funding grant in a subsequent 

9 year; and 

10 ‘‘(B) submit to the Director an annual re11 port on the performance of the veterans busi12 ness center, which shall include— 

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

14 grant under this subsection and matching 

15 funds to carry out the activities of the vet16 erans business center; and 

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

18 the veterans business center in meeting the 

19 performance benchmarks described in sub20 paragraph (A). 

21 ‘‘(6) CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each vet22 erans business center receiving an initial grant or a 

23 growth funding grant shall use the funds received 

24 under the grant for— 

25 ‘‘(A) veteran entrepreneurial development; 


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

2 business concerns or who are seeking to own a 

3 small business concern through one-on-one in4 struction and classes, including counseling re5 lating to financial literacy; 

6 ‘‘(C) education about services available 

7 through one-stop centers referred to in section 

8 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 

9 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(c)), including veterans 

10 employment assistance and job announcement 

11 services; 

12 ‘‘(D) education about tax provisions relat13 ing to first time owners of business concerns, 

14 owners of small business concerns, and vet15 erans; 

16 ‘‘(E) information on the availability of 

17 mentoring services and referrals, as appro18 priate; and 

19 ‘‘(F) information on government procure20 ment assistance available to veterans. 

21 ‘‘(7) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

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

23 center receiving an initial grant or a growth 

24 funding grant shall provide a contribution, in 


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

2 of the amount of the grant. 

3 ‘‘(B) SOURCE OF CONTRIBUTION.—Not 

4 more than 25 percent of a contribution under 

5 subparagraph (A) may be provided from other 

6 Federal funds. The contribution may be pro7 vided from funds made available by a State, 

8 local government, or private person. 

9 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.— 

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

11 upon request, waive a portion of the 

12 matching contribution under this para13 graph upon a determination of hardship to 

14 the veterans business center. 

15 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter16 mining whether a veterans business center 

17 is experiencing a hardship, the Director 

18 shall consider— 

19 ‘‘(I) whether the veterans busi20 ness center is operating at an eco21 nomic loss; 

22 ‘‘(II) whether the veterans busi23 ness center would continue to operate 

24 without a waiver; and 


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1 ‘‘(III) other factors the Director 

2 considers appropriate. 

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

4 give priority to applications to be designated a vet5 erans business center and for initial grants and 

6 growth funding grants under this subsection that 

7 will establish a veterans business center in a geo8 graphic area, as determined by the Director— 

9 ‘‘(A) that is not currently served by a vet10 erans business center; and 

11 ‘‘(B) in which— 

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

13 exceeds the national median of the number 

14 of veterans per capita; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the number of veterans of Oper16 ation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Endur17 ing Freedom per capita exceeds the na18 tional median of the number of veterans of 

19 Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation En20 during Freedom per capita; or 

21 ‘‘(iii) the expected number of veterans 

22 of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 

23 Enduring Freedom per capita, as deter24 mined by the Secretary of Defense, will ex25 ceed the national median of the number of 


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1 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom or 

2 Operation Enduring Freedom per capita. 

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

4 develop and implement, directly or by contract, an 

5 annual training program for the employees of vet6 erans business centers to provide education, support, 

7 and information on best practices with respect to the 

8 establishment and operation of a veterans business 

9 center. The Director shall develop the training pro10 gram under this paragraph in consultation with vet11 erans business centers, the task force, the Employ12 ment and Training Administration and the Vet13 erans’ Employment and Training Service of the De14 partment of Labor, and veterans service organiza15 tions. 

16 ‘‘(10) INCLUSION OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN

17 PROGRAM.—The Director shall designate as a vet18 erans business center, and may make a initial grant 

19 to— 

20 ‘‘(A) a Veterans Business Outreach Center 

21 established by the Administrator under section 

22 8(b)(17) on or before the date of enactment of 

23 this subsection; and 

24 ‘‘(B) each person or entity that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) received funds during fiscal year 

2 2006 from the National Veterans Business 

3 Development Corporation established 

4 under section 33; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) is in operation on the date of en6 actment of this subsection. 

7 ‘‘(11) ANNUAL REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF

8 VETERAN BUSINESS CENTERS.— 

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

10 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

11 and every year thereafter, the Administrator 

12 shall submit a report on the performance of the 

13 veterans business center program to— 

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

16 the Committee on Small Business and En17 trepreneurship, and the Committee on 

18 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

19 the Senate; 

20 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Veterans’ Af21 fairs, the Committee on Appropriations, 

22 and the Committee on Small Business of 

23 the House of Representatives; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) relevant Federal agencies, in2 cluding the Department of Veterans Af3 fairs and the Department of Labor. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each report under sub5 paragraph (A) shall include, for the 1-year pe6 riod ending on the date of the report— 

7 ‘‘(i) an assessment of the compliance 

8 of each veterans business center receiving 

9 an initial grant or growth funding grant 

10 with the performance benchmarks estab11 lished for the veterans business center 

12 under paragraph (5)(A); 

13 ‘‘(ii) the number of veterans assisted 

14 by a veterans business center receiving an 

15 initial grant or growth funding grant; 

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

17 who sought the assistance of a veterans 

18 business center; 

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

20 by the Administrator, of small business 

21 concerns owned and controlled by veterans 

22 who sought assistance from a veterans 

23 business center; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) any other performance indicators 

2 and information the Administrator deter3 mines appropriate. 

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

5 shall disseminate the findings of each report 

6 under subparagraph (A) online and to the vet7 eran, small business, and workforce develop8 ment communities. 

9 ‘‘(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

11 this subsection— 

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

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

14 ‘‘(h) ADDITIONAL GRANTS AVAILABLE TO VETERANS

15 BUSINESS CENTERS.— 

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

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es18 tablish a grant program under which the Direc19 tor may make grants to veterans business cen20 ters to— 

21 ‘‘(i) develop specialized programs to 

22 assist small business concerns owned and 

23 controlled by veterans in securing capital 

24 and repairing damaged credit; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) provide informational seminars 

2 on financial literacy, securing loans, and 

3 Federal, State and local tax provisions and 

4 incentives for small business concerns 

5 owned and controlled by veterans; 

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

7 small business concerns owned and con8 trolled by veterans to improve the financial 

9 presentations of the small business concern 

10 to lenders; 

11 ‘‘(iv) facilitate the access of small 

12 business concerns owned and controlled by 

13 veterans to traditional and non-traditional 

14 financing sources; and 

15 ‘‘(v) establish links to and partner16 ships with local workforce boards and busi17 ness mentoring organizations. 

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 ‘‘(2) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT PRO2 GRAM.— 

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) assist small business concerns 

8 owned and controlled by veterans in identi9 fying contracts that are suitable for the 

10 small business concern; 

11 ‘‘(ii) prepare small business concerns 

12 owned and controlled by veterans to act as 

13 subcontractors and prime contractors for 

14 contracts made available under the Amer15 ican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

16 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 115) 

17 through training and business advice, par18 ticularly with respect to the construction 

19 trades; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) provide technical assistance to 

21 small business concerns owned and con22 trolled by veterans relating to the Federal 

23 procurement process, including assisting in 

24 compliance with Federal regulations and 

25 bonding requirements. 


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

2 make grants under this paragraph to a veterans 

3 business center in a total amount of more than 

4 $75,000 during any 1-year period. 

5 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA6 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

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

8 of fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 

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

10 SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es12 tablish a grant program under which the Direc13 tor may make grants to veterans business cen14 ters to— 

15 ‘‘(i) develop outreach programs for 

16 service-disabled veterans with respect to 

17 the benefits of self-employment; 

18 ‘‘(ii) provide tailored training to serv19 ice-disabled veterans with respect to busi20 ness plan development, marketing, budg21 eting, accounting, and merchandising; 

22 ‘‘(iii) assist small business concerns 

23 owned and controlled by service-disabled 

24 veterans in locating and securing business 

25 opportunities; and 


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

2 services provided through one-stop centers 

3 referred to in section 134(c) of the Work4 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

5 2864(c)), including information on labor 

6 market trends, entrepreneurial and related 

7 training and training providers, student fi8 nancial aid, and specialized services for 

9 veterans. 

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 ‘‘(i) VETERANS ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

19 SUMMIT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the vet21 erans business center program established under 

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

23 years, to provide networking opportunities, outreach, 

24 education, training, and support to veterans business 

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1 ness concerns owned and controlled by veterans, vet2 erans service organizations, workforce investment 

3 boards of State and local governments, the Employ4 ment and Training Administration and the Vet5 erans’ Employment and Training Service of the De6 partment of Labor, and other entities as determined 

7 appropriate by the Director. 

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

9 of the most recently submitted report under sub10 section (g)(12) shall be presented at an event held 

11 under this subsection. 

12 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

15 2011 and 2012. 

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

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

18 the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business 

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

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

21 the veterans business center program; 

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

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

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

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


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1 ‘‘(5) the term ‘task force’ means the inter2 agency task force established under subsection 

3 (c)(1); 

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

5 an entity designated as a veterans business center 

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

7 ‘‘(7) the term ‘veterans business center pro8 gram’ means the veterans business center program 

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

10 (b) REPORT REGARDING DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM.— 

11 The Administrator of the Small Business Administration, 

12 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Assistant Sec13 retary for Veterans’ Employment and Training shall joint14 ly— 

15 (1) assess the efficacy of establishing a Federal 

16 direct loan program for small business concerns 

17 owned and controlled by veterans (as defined in sec18 tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)); 

19 and 

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

21 enactment of this Act, submit a report regarding the 

22 assessment under paragraph (1) to— 

23 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

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1 ship, and the Committee on Health, Education, 

2 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and 

3 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

4 the Committee on Appropriations, and the 

5 Committee on Small Business of the House of 

6 Representatives. 

7 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

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

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘by the Asso11 ciate Administrator for Veterans Business Develop12 ment’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘by the As13 sociate Administrator.’’; and 

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

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

16 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY 

17 TASK FORCE. 

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

19 657b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

21 the date of enactment of this paragraph, and every 

22 6 months thereafter, the Administrator shall submit 

23 to Congress a report on the appointments made to 

24 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 Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS 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 Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS 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 Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS 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 Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS 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 Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS 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. 

4 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Employment 

6 Assistance Act of 2010’’. 

7 SEC. 2. VETERANS’ BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM. 

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

9 Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended by striking subsection (f) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(f) ONLINE COORDINATION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

13 ‘veterans’ assistance provider’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) a veterans’ business center established 

15 under subsection (g); 

16 ‘‘(B) an employee of the Administration as17 signed to the Office of Veterans Business Devel18 opment; and 

19 ‘‘(C) a veterans business ownership rep20 resentative designated under subsection 

21 (g)(13)(B). 

22 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Associate Adminis23 trator shall establish an online mechanism to— 

24 ‘‘(A) provide information that assists vet25 erans’ assistance providers in carrying out the 


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1 activities of the veterans’ assistance providers; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) coordinate and leverage the work of the 

4 veterans’ assistance providers, including by al5 lowing a veterans’ assistance provider to— 

6 ‘‘(i) distribute best practices and other 

7 materials; 

8 ‘‘(ii) communicate with other veterans’ 

9 assistance providers regarding the activities 

10 of the veterans’ assistance provider on behalf 

11 of veterans; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) pose questions to and request 

13 input from other veterans’ assistance pro14 viders. 

15 ‘‘(g) VETERANS’ BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM.— 

16 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

17 ‘‘(A) the term ‘active duty’ has the meaning 

18 given that term in section 101 of title 10, United 

19 States Code; 

20 ‘‘(B) the term ‘private nonprofit organiza21 tion’ means an entity that is described in section 

22 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 

23 exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

24 such Code; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the term ‘Reservist’ means a member 

2 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, as 

3 described in section 10101 of title 10, United 

4 States Code; 

5 ‘‘(D) the term ‘Service Corps of Retired Ex6 ecutives’ means the Service Corps of Retired Ex7 ecutives authorized under section 8(b)(1); 

8 ‘‘(E) the term ‘small business concern 

9 owned and controlled by veterans’— 

10 ‘‘(i) has the same meaning as in sec11 tion 3(q); and 

12 ‘‘(ii) includes a small business con13 cern— 

14 ‘‘(I) not less than 51 percent of 

15 which is owned by one or more spouses 

16 of veterans or, in the case of any pub17 licly owned business, not less than 51 

18 percent of the stock of which is owned 

19 by one or more spouses of veterans; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the management and daily 

21 business operations of which are con22 trolled by one or more spouses of vet23 erans; 

24 ‘‘(F) the term ‘spouse’, relating to a veteran, 

25 service-disabled veteran, or Reservist, includes an 


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1 individual who is the spouse of a veteran, serv2 ice-disabled veteran, or Reservist on the date on 

3 which the veteran, service-disabled veteran, or 

4 Reservist died; 

5 ‘‘(G) the term ‘veterans’ business center pro6 gram’ means the program established under 

7 paragraph (2)(A); and 

8 ‘‘(H) the term ‘women’s business center’ 

9 means a women’s business center described in 

10 section 29. 

11 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, act13 ing through the Associate Administrator, shall 

14 establish a veterans’ business center program, 

15 under which the Associate Administrator may 

16 provide financial assistance to a private non17 profit organization to conduct a 5-year project 

18 for the benefit of small business concerns owned 

19 and controlled by veterans, which may be re20 newed for one or more additional 5-year periods. 

21 ‘‘(B) FORM OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

22 Financial assistance under this subsection may 

23 be in the form of a grant, a contract, or a coop24 erative agreement. 


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1 ‘‘(3) VETERANS’ BUSINESS CENTERS.—Each pri2 vate nonprofit organization that receives financial as3 sistance under this subsection shall establish or oper4 ate a veterans’ business center (which may include es5 tablishing or operating satellite offices in the region 

6 described in paragraph (5) served by that private 

7 nonprofit organization) that provides to veterans (in8 cluding service-disabled veterans), Reservists, and the 

9 spouses of veterans (including service-disabled vet10 erans) and Reservists— 

11 ‘‘(A) financial advice, including training 

12 and counseling on applying for and securing 

13 business credit and investment capital, pre14 paring and presenting financial statements, and 

15 managing cash flow and other financial oper16 ations of a small business concern; 

17 ‘‘(B) management advice, including train18 ing and counseling on the planning, organiza19 tion, staffing, direction, and control of each 

20 major activity and function of a small business 

21 concern; 

22 ‘‘(C) marketing advice, including training 

23 and counseling on identifying and segmenting 

24 domestic and international market opportuni25 ties, preparing and executing marketing plans, 


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1 developing pricing strategies, locating contract 

2 opportunities, negotiating contracts, and using 

3 public relations and advertising techniques; and 

4 ‘‘(D) advice, including training and coun5 seling, for Reservists and the spouses of Reserv6 ists. 

7 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A private nonprofit or9 ganization desiring to receive financial assist10 ance under this subsection shall submit an appli11 cation to the Associate Administrator at such 

12 time and in such manner as the Associate Ad13 ministrator may require. 

14 ‘‘(B) 5-YEAR PLAN.—Each application de15 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall include a 5- 

16 year plan on proposed fundraising and training 

17 activities relating to the veterans’ business cen18 ter. 

19 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION AND NOTIFICATION.— 

20 Not later than 60 days after the date on which 

21 a private nonprofit organization submits an ap22 plication under subparagraph (A), the Associate 

23 Administrator shall approve or deny the appli24 cation and notify the applicant of the determina25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(D) AVAILABILITY OF APPLICATION.—The 

2 Associate Administrator shall make every effort 

3 to make the application under subparagraph (A) 

4 available online. 

5 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBILITY.—The Associate Administrator 

6 may select to receive financial assistance under this 

7 subsection— 

8 ‘‘(A) a Veterans Business Outreach Center 

9 established by the Administrator under section 

10 8(b)(17) on or before the day before the date of 

11 enactment of this subsection; or 

12 ‘‘(B) private nonprofit organizations located 

13 in various regions of the United States, as the 

14 Associate Administrator determines is appro15 priate. 

16 ‘‘(6) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Adminis18 trator shall establish selection criteria, stated in 

19 terms of relative importance, to evaluate and 

20 rank applicants under paragraph (5)(C) for fi21 nancial assistance under this subsection. 

22 ‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—The selection criteria es23 tablished under this paragraph shall include— 

24 ‘‘(i) the experience of the applicant in 

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1 signed to impart or upgrade the business 

2 skills of veterans, and the spouses of vet3 erans, who own or may own small business 

4 concerns; 

5 ‘‘(ii) for an applicant for initial finan6 cial assistance under this subsection— 

7 ‘‘(I) the ability of the applicant to 

8 begin operating a veterans’ business 

9 center within a minimum amount of 

10 time; and 

11 ‘‘(II) the geographic region to be 

12 served by the veterans’ business center; 

13 ‘‘(iii) the demonstrated ability of the 

14 applicant to— 

15 ‘‘(I) provide managerial coun16 seling and technical assistance to en17 trepreneurs; and 

18 ‘‘(II) coordinate services provided 

19 by veterans services organizations and 

20 other public or private entities; and 

21 ‘‘(iv) for any applicant for a renewal 

22 of financial assistance under this sub23 section, the results of the most recent exam24 ination under paragraph (10) of the vetVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00082 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS S3234

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1 erans’ business center operated by the appli2 cant. 

3 ‘‘(C) CRITERIA PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.—The 

4 Associate Administrator shall— 

5 ‘‘(i) make publicly available the selec6 tion criteria established under this para7 graph; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) include the criteria in each solici9 tation for applications for financial assist10 ance under this subsection. 

11 ‘‘(7) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.—The amount of 

12 financial assistance provided under this subsection to 

13 a private nonprofit organization for each fiscal year 

14 shall be— 

15 ‘‘(A) not less than $150,000; and 

16 ‘‘(B) not more than $200,000. 

17 ‘‘(8) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

19 ‘‘(i) INITIAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

20 Except as provided in clause (ii) and sub21 paragraph (E), a private nonprofit organi22 zation that receives financial assistance 

23 under this subsection shall provide non-Fed24 eral contributions for the operation of the 

25 veterans’ business center established by the 


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1 private nonprofit organization in an 

2 amount equal to— 

3 ‘‘(I) in each of the first and sec4 ond years of the project, not less than 

5 33 percent of the amount of the finan6 cial assistance received under this sub7 section; and 

8 ‘‘(II) in each of the third through 

9 fifth years of the project, not less than 

10 50 percent of the amount of the finan11 cial assistance received under this sub12 section. 

13 ‘‘(ii) RENEWALS.—A private nonprofit 

14 organization that receives a renewal of fi15 nancial assistance under this subsection 

16 shall provide non-Federal contributions for 

17 the operation of the veterans’ business center 

18 established by the private nonprofit organi19 zation in an amount equal to not less than 

20 50 percent of the amount of the financial 

21 assistance received under this subsection. 

22 ‘‘(B) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—Not 

23 more than 50 percent of the non-Federal share 

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1 ance under this subsection may be in the form 

2 of in-kind contributions. 

3 ‘‘(C) TIMING OF DISBURSEMENT.—The As4 sociate Administrator may disburse not more 

5 than 25 percent of the financial assistance 

6 awarded to a private nonprofit organization be7 fore the private nonprofit organization obtains 

8 the non-Federal share required under this para9 graph with respect to that award. 

10 ‘‘(D) FAILURE TO OBTAIN NON-FEDERAL

11 FUNDING.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If a private non13 profit organization that receives financial 

14 assistance under this subsection fails to ob15 tain the non-Federal share required under 

16 this paragraph during any fiscal year, the 

17 private nonprofit organization may not re18 ceive a disbursement under this subsection 

19 in a subsequent fiscal year or a disburse20 ment for any other project funded by the 

21 Administration, unless the Administrator 

22 makes a written determination that the pri23 vate nonprofit organization will be able to 

24 obtain a non-Federal contribution. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) RESTORATION.—A private non2 profit organization prohibited from receiv3 ing a disbursement under clause (i) in a 

4 fiscal year may receive financial assistance 

5 in a subsequent fiscal year if the organiza6 tion obtains the non-Federal share required 

7 under this paragraph for the subsequent fis8 cal year. 

9 ‘‘(E) WAIVER OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by a 

11 private nonprofit organization, and in ac12 cordance with this subparagraph, the Ad13 ministrator may waive, in whole or in part, 

14 the requirement to obtain non-Federal funds 

15 under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year. 

16 The Administrator may not waive the re17 quirement for a private nonprofit organiza18 tion to obtain non-Federal funds under this 

19 subparagraph for more than a total of 2 fis20 cal years. 

21 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter22 mining whether to waive the requirement to 

23 obtain non-Federal funds under this sub24 paragraph, the Administrator shall con25 sider— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the economic conditions af2 fecting the private nonprofit organiza3 tion; 

4 ‘‘(II) the impact a waiver under 

5 this subparagraph would have on the 

6 credibility of the veterans’ business 

7 center program; 

8 ‘‘(III) the demonstrated ability of 

9 the private nonprofit organization to 

10 raise non-Federal funds; and 

11 ‘‘(IV) the performance of the pri12 vate nonprofit organization. 

13 ‘‘(iii) LIMITATION.—The Adminis14 trator may not waive the requirement to ob15 tain non-Federal funds under this subpara16 graph if granting the waiver would under17 mine the credibility of the veterans’ business 

18 center program. 

19 ‘‘(9) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—A veterans’ busi20 ness center may enter into a contract with a Federal 

21 department or agency to provide specific assistance to 

22 veterans, service-disabled veterans, Reservists, or the 

23 spouses of veterans, service-disabled veterans, or Re24 servists. Performance of such contract shall not hinder 

25 the veterans’ business center in carrying out the terms 


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1 of the grant received by the veterans’ business centers 

2 from the Administrator. 

3 ‘‘(10) EXAMINATION AND DETERMINATION OF VI4 ABILITY.— 

5 ‘‘(A) EXAMINATION.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Ad7 ministrator shall conduct an annual exam8 ination of the programs and finances of 

9 each veterans’ business center established or 

10 operated using financial assistance under 

11 this subsection. 

12 ‘‘(ii) FACTORS.—In conducting the ex13 amination under clause (i), the Associate 

14 Administrator shall consider whether the 

15 veterans’ business center has failed— 

16 ‘‘(I) to provide the information 

17 required to be provided under subpara18 graph (B), or the information provided 

19 by the center is inadequate; 

20 ‘‘(II) the center has failed to com21 ply with a requirement for participa22 tion in the veterans’ business center 

23 program, as determined by the Assist24 ant Administrator, including— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) failure to acquire or 

2 properly document a non-Federal 

3 share; 

4 ‘‘(bb) failure to establish an 

5 appropriate partnership or pro6 gram for marketing and outreach 

7 to small business concerns; 

8 ‘‘(cc) failure to achieve re9 sults described in a financial as10 sistance agreement; and 

11 ‘‘(dd) failure to provide to 

12 the Administrator a description of 

13 the amount and sources of any 

14 non-Federal funding received by 

15 the center; 

16 ‘‘(III) to carry out the 5-year 

17 plan under in paragraph (4)(B); or 

18 ‘‘(IV) to meet the eligibility re19 quirements under paragraph (5). 

20 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION PROVIDED.—In the 

21 course of an examination under subparagraph 

22 (A), the veterans’ business center shall provide to 

23 the Associate Administrator— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an itemized cost breakdown of ac2 tual expenditures for costs incurred during 

3 the most recent full fiscal year; 

4 ‘‘(ii) documentation of the amount of 

5 non-Federal contributions obtained and ex6 pended by the veterans’ business center dur7 ing the most recent full fiscal year; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) with respect to any in-kind con9 tribution under paragraph (8)(B), 

10 verification of the existence and valuation of 

11 such contributions. 

12 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF VIABILITY.—The 

13 Associate Administrator shall analyze the results 

14 of each examination under this paragraph and, 

15 based on that analysis, make a determination re16 garding the viability of the programs and fi17 nances of each veterans’ business center. 

18 ‘‘(D) DISCONTINUATION OF FUNDING.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Associate Ad20 ministrator may discontinue an award of 

21 financial assistance to a private nonprofit 

22 organization at any time if the Associate 

23 Administrator determines under subpara24 graph (C) that the veterans’ business center 

25 operated by that organization is not viable. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) RESTORATION.—The Associate 

2 Administrator may continue to provide fi3 nancial assistance to a private nonprofit or4 ganization in a subsequent fiscal year if the 

5 Associate Administrator determines under 

6 subparagraph (C) that the veterans’ busi7 ness center is viable. 

8 ‘‘(11) PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

10 subparagraph (B), a veterans’ business center es11 tablished or operated using financial assistance 

12 provided under this subsection may not disclose 

13 the name, address, or telephone number of any 

14 individual or small business concern that re15 ceives advice from the veterans’ business center 

16 without the consent of the individual or small 

17 business concern. 

18 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—A veterans’ business cen19 ter may disclose information described in sub20 paragraph (A)— 

21 ‘‘(i) if the Administrator or Associate 

22 Administrator is ordered to make such a 

23 disclosure by a court in any civil or crimi24 nal enforcement action initiated by a Fed25 eral or State agency; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to the extent that the Adminis2 trator or Associate Administrator deter3 mines that such a disclosure is necessary to 

4 conduct a financial audit of a veterans’ 

5 business center. 

6 ‘‘(C) ADMINISTRATION USE OF INFORMA7 TION.—This paragraph does not— 

8 ‘‘(i) restrict access by the Adminis9 trator to program activity data; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) prevent the Administrator from 

11 using information not described in subpara12 graph (A) to conduct surveys of individuals 

13 or small business concerns that receive ad14 vice from a veterans’ business center. 

15 ‘‘(D) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator 

16 shall issue regulations to establish standards for 

17 requiring disclosures under subparagraph 

18 (B)(ii). 

19 ‘‘(12) REPORT.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

21 after the end of each fiscal year, the Associate 

22 Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 

23 Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the 

24 Senate and the Committee on Small Business of 

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1 fectiveness of the veterans’ business center pro2 gram in each region during the most recent full 

3 fiscal year. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each report under this 

5 paragraph shall include, at a minimum, for each 

6 veterans’ business center established or operated 

7 using financial assistance provided under this 

8 subsection— 

9 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals receiv10 ing assistance from the veterans’ business 

11 center, including the number of such indi12 viduals who are— 

13 ‘‘(I) veterans or spouses of vet14 erans; 

15 ‘‘(II) service-disabled veterans or 

16 spouses of service-disabled veterans; or 

17 ‘‘(III) Reservists or spouses of Re18 servists; 

19 ‘‘(ii) the number of startup small busi20 ness concerns formed by individuals receiv21 ing assistance from the veterans’ business 

22 center, including— 

23 ‘‘(I) veterans or spouses of vet24 erans; 


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1 ‘‘(II) service-disabled veterans or 

2 spouses of service-disabled veterans; or 

3 ‘‘(III) Reservists or spouses of Re4 servists; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the gross receipts of small busi6 ness concerns that receive advice from the 

7 veterans’ business center; 

8 ‘‘(iv) the employment increases or de9 creases of small business concerns that re10 ceive advice from the veterans’ business cen11 ter; 

12 ‘‘(v) to the maximum extent prac13 ticable, the increases or decreases in profits 

14 of small business concerns that receive ad15 vice from the veterans’ business center; and 

16 ‘‘(vi) the results of the examination of 

17 the veterans’ business center under para18 graph (10). 

19 ‘‘(13) COORDINATION OF EFFORTS AND CON20 SULTATION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION.— 

22 To the extent practicable, the Associate Adminis23 trator and each private nonprofit organization 

24 that receives financial assistance under this sub25 section shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) coordinate outreach and other ac2 tivities with other programs of the Adminis3 tration and the programs of other Federal 

4 agencies; 

5 ‘‘(ii) consult with technical representa6 tives of the district offices of the Adminis7 tration in carrying out activities using fi8 nancial assistance under this subsection; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(iii) provide information to the vet11 erans business ownership representatives 

12 designated under subparagraph (B) and co13 ordinate with the veterans business owner14 ship representatives to increase the ability 

15 of the veterans business ownership rep16 resentatives to provide services throughout 

17 the area served by the veterans business 

18 ownership representatives. 

19 ‘‘(B) VETERANS BUSINESS OWNERSHIP REP20 RESENTATIVES.— 

21 ‘‘(i) DESIGNATION.—The Adminis22 trator shall designate not fewer than 1 indi23 vidual in each district office of the Admin24 istration as a veterans business ownership 

25 representative, who shall communicate and 


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1 coordinate activities of the district office 

2 with private nonprofit organizations that 

3 receive financial assistance under this sub4 section. 

5 ‘‘(ii) INITIAL DESIGNATION.—The first 

6 individual in each district office of the Ad7 ministration designated by the Adminis8 trator as a veterans business ownership rep9 resentative under clause (i) shall be an in10 dividual that is employed by the Adminis11 tration on the date of enactment of this sub12 section. 

13 ‘‘(14) EXISTING CONTRACTS.—An award of fi14 nancial assistance under this subsection shall not void 

15 any contract between a private nonprofit organiza16 tion and the Administration that is in effect on the 

17 date of such award. 

18 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated— 

20 ‘‘(1) to carry out subsections (a) through (f), 

21 $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(2) to carry out subsection (g)— 

24 ‘‘(A) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

25 ‘‘(B) $8,500,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.’’. 

2 (b) GAO REPORTS.— 

3 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

4 (A) the terms ‘‘small business concern’’ and 

5 ‘‘veteran’’ have the meanings given those terms 

6 under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

7 U.S.C. 632); and 

8 (B) the terms ‘‘Reservist’’, ‘‘small business 

9 concern owned and controlled by veterans’’, and 

10 ‘‘veterans’ business center program’’ have the 

11 meanings given those terms in section 32(g) of 

12 the Small Business Act, as added by this section. 

13 (2) REPORT ON ACCESS TO CREDIT.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

16 Comptroller General of the United States shall 

17 submit a report regarding the ability of small 

18 business concern owned and controlled by vet19 erans to access credit to— 

20 (i) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

21 and the Committee on Small Business and 

22 Entrepreneurship of the Senate; and 

23 (ii) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

24 and the Committee on Small Business of the 

25 House of Representatives. 


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1 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

2 under subparagraph (A) shall include an anal3 ysis of— 

4 (i) the sources of credit used by small 

5 business concerns owned and controlled by 

6 veterans and percentage of the credit ob7 tained by small business concern owned and 

8 controlled by veterans that is obtained from 

9 each source; 

10 (ii) the default rate for small business 

11 concerns owned and controlled by veterans 

12 separately for each source of credit described 

13 in clause (i), as compared to the default 

14 rate for the source of credit for small busi15 ness concerns generally; 

16 (iii) the Federal lending programs 

17 available to provide credit to small business 

18 concerns owned and controlled by veterans; 

19 (iv) gaps, if any, in the availability of 

20 credit for small business concerns owned 

21 and controlled by veterans that are not 

22 being filled by the Federal Government or 

23 private sources; 

24 (v) obstacles faced by veterans in try25 ing to access credit; 


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1 (vi) the extent to which deployment 

2 and other military responsibilities affect the 

3 credit history of veterans and Reservists; 

4 and 

5 (vii) the extent to which veterans are 

6 aware of Federal programs targeted towards 

7 helping veterans access credit. 

8 (3) REPORT ON VETERANS’ BUSINESS CENTER

9 PROGRAM.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

11 after the end of the second fiscal year beginning 

12 after the date on which the veterans’ business 

13 center program is established, the Comptroller 

14 General of the United States shall evaluate the 

15 effectiveness of the veterans’ business center pro16 gram, and submit to Congress a report on the re17 sults of that evaluation. 

18 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

19 under subparagraph (A) shall include— 

20 (i) an assessment of— 

21 (I) the use of amounts made 

22 available to carry out the veterans’ 

23 business center program; 

24 (II) the effectiveness of the services 

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1 ganization receiving financial assist2 ance under the veterans’ business cen3 ter program; 

4 (III) whether the services de5 scribed in clause (ii) are duplicative of 

6 services provided by other veteran serv7 ice organizations, programs of the 

8 Small Business Administration, or 

9 programs of another Federal depart10 ment or agency and, if so, rec11 ommendations regarding how to allevi12 ate the duplication of the services; and 

13 (IV) whether there are areas of the 

14 United States in which there are not 

15 adequate entrepreneurial services for 

16 small business concerns owned and 

17 controlled by veterans and, if so, 

18 whether there is a veterans’ business 

19 center established under the veterans’ 

20 business center program providing 

21 services to that area; and 

22 (ii) recommendations, if any, for im23 proving the veterans’ business center pro24 gram. 


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1 SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR INTERAGENCY 

2 TASK FORCE ON SMALL BUSINESSES OWNED 

3 AND CONTROLLED BY DISABLED VETERANS. 

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

5 657b(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not less frequently than twice 

7 each year, the Administrator shall submit to Congress 

8 a report on the appointments made to and activities 

9 of the task force.’’. 

10 SEC. 4. REPEAL OF AUTHORITY TO AWARD NEW GRANTS 

11 AND RENEWAL OF PREVIOUSLY AWARDED 

12 GRANTS FOR OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOR 

13 VETERANS. 

14 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered 

15 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement’’ means a grant, 

16 contract, or cooperative agreement that was— 

17 (1) made or entered into under section 8(b)(17) 

18 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(17)); and 

19 (2) in effect on or before the date described in 

20 subsection (b)(2). 

21 (b) REPEAL.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(b) of the Small 

23 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)) is amended— 

24 (A) in paragraph (15), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 

25 the end; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (16), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

2 and inserting a period; and 

3 (C) by striking paragraph (17). 

4 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

5 by paragraph (1) shall take effect 60 days after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act. 

7 (c) TRANSITIONAL RULES.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

9 provision of law, a covered grant, contract, or cooper10 ative agreement shall remain in full force and effect 

11 under the terms, and for the duration, of the covered 

12 grant, contract, or agreement. 

13 (2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—Any organi14 zation that was awarded or entered into a covered 

15 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement shall be sub16 ject to the requirements of section 32(g) of the Small 

17 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b(g)) (as added by this 

18 Act). 

19 (d) RENEWAL OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—An orga20 nization that was awarded or entered into a covered grant, 

21 contract, or cooperative agreement may apply for a renewal 

22 of the grant, contract, or agreement under the terms and 

23 conditions described in section 32(g) of the Small Business 

24 Act (15 U.S.C. 657b(g)) (as added by this Act). 


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1 SEC. 5. MILITARY PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS. 

2 (a) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MILITARY PATHWAYS

3 DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, act5 ing through the Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Em6 ployment and Training, after consultation with the 

7 Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of De8 fense, shall establish a demonstration program and 

9 carry out the program by making grants, on a com10 petitive basis, to not more than 5 entities for dem11 onstration projects. The projects shall be designed to 

12 test the feasibility of methods of enabling 

13 transitioning military members to build on the tech14 nical skills learned in many military jobs, to enter 

15 the information technology workforce or continue 

16 their skills development in the information technology 

17 disciplines to meet the demand for information tech18 nology workforce readiness in computer specialist and 

19 related information technology jobs. 

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

21 the program, the Secretary may examine the feasi22 bility of methods such as the following: 

23 (A) Methods to improve the transitions, 

24 skills development, and employment of 

25 transitioning military members for and in inforVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00103 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS S3234

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1 mation technology occupations with wages suffi2 cient to support families. 

3 (B) Methods to align the information tech4 nology skills acquired in military occupations 

5 with skills required in civilian information tech6 nology occupations in new, emerging, or viable 

7 industries, including aligning the skills— 

8 (i) using guidelines for assessments 

9 and credentials that employers value in the 

10 hiring process, and credentials that are in11 dustry-recognized and approved by the Sec12 retary; and 

13 (ii) by means that may include the use 

14 of a modified or enhanced Department of 

15 Defense transition program or a Depart16 ment of Labor transition program, such as 

17 the program carried out under chapter 41 of 

18 title 38, United States Code. 

19 (C) Methods to ensure that military mem20 bers receive education and training, including 

21 training through apprenticeship programs, and 

22 necessary support services, that are flexible, 

23 available (including available for deployed mili24 tary members), adequate for individuals seeking 

25 to make the transition to civilian information 


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1 technology occupations, and consistent with aca2 demic requirements of the institution involved. 

3 (D) Methods to enable military members to 

4 accelerate application for admission, acceptance, 

5 and graduation as students in computer science, 

6 engineering, and related disciplines at 2-year 

7 and 4-year institutions of higher education, 

8 based on military credentials and experience. 

9 (E) Methods to help military members ob10 tain information technology credentials that are 

11 industry-recognized, are approved by the Sec12 retary, and satisfy both military requirements 

13 and civilian requirements, prior to release of the 

14 members from the military. 

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

16 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit an 

17 application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

18 manner, and containing such information as the Sec19 retary may require, including each of the following: 

20 (A) An assurance that the entity agrees 

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

22 work in conjunction with a local board and enter 

23 into a partnership that includes, as principal 

24 partners, employers, labor organizations, postsec25 ondary education institutions including instituVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS S3234

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1 tions of higher education, veterans service orga2 nizations, and other community organizations. 

3 (B) Information— 

4 (i) demonstrating the capability of the 

5 entity in working with transitioning mili6 tary members; 

7 (ii) demonstrating that the entity has 

8 a history of effective collaboration with— 

9 (I) the information technology in10 dustry or an industry with significant 

11 information technology jobs; 

12 (II) State boards or local boards, 

13 as appropriate; and 

14 (III) institutions of higher edu15 cation and other information tech16 nology educators or trainers; and 

17 (iii) demonstrating knowledge of train18 ing and best practices of the information 

19 technology industry. 

20 (C) An assurance that the entity will par21 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 

22 the demonstration program, including partici23 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

24 (4) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In order to select en25 tities to receive grants for projects under this subVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS S3234

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1 section, the Secretary shall establish selection criteria 

2 consistent with this subsection and shall ensure that 

3 the criteria give priority to each of the following types 

4 of entities: 

5 (A) Entities that demonstrate the ability to 

6 leverage public or private funds to sustain such 

7 a project after the grant period. 

8 (B) Entities that have relationships with 

9 institutions of higher education or with qualified 

10 community-based organizations that provide 

11 training. 

12 (C) Entities that have relationships with 

13 employers, labor organizations, and other entities 

14 that will provide earn and learn opportunities to 

15 veterans. 

16 (D) Entities that have experience working 

17 with veterans and facilitating transitions from 

18 military to civilian work environments. 

19 (E) Entities that have experience designing 

20 contextualized learning programs that integrate 

21 basic adult education with skills training. 

22 (5) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL AS23 SISTANCE.—Using not more than 10 percent of the 

24 amount made available to carry out this subsection, 

25 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 entities 

8 receiving grants under this subsection, relating 

9 to the promising methods. 

10 (6) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

11 ‘‘information technology’’ means any equipment or 

12 interconnected system or subsystem of equipment— 

13 (A) used in the automatic acquisition, stor14 age, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, man15 agement, movement, control, display, switching, 

16 interchange, transmission, or reception of data 

17 or information; and 

18 (B) includes the following: 

19 (i) Computers. 

20 (ii) Ancillary equipment for computers 

21 (including imaging peripherals, and input, 

22 output, and storage devices necessary for se23 curity and surveillance). 


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1 (iii) Peripheral equipment designed to 

2 be controlled by the central processing unit 

3 of a computer. 

4 (iv) Software. 

5 (v) Computer services (including sup6 port services). 

7 (vi) Other computer-related resources. 

8 (7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 this subsection $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2011 through 2013. 

12 (b) NURSING, PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALLIED HEALTH

13 PROFESSIONAL, AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT MILITARY

14 PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, act16 ing through the Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Em17 ployment and Training, after consultation with the 

18 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Defense, 

19 and Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall 

20 establish a demonstration program and carry out the 

21 program by making grants, on a competitive basis, to 

22 not more than 5 entities for demonstration projects. 

23 The projects shall be designed to test the feasibility of 

24 methods of enabling transitioning military members 

25 to build on the technical skills learned in many miliVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Sep 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00109 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3234.RS S3234

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1 tary jobs, to enter the nursing, public health and al2 lied health professional, and physician assistant 

3 workforces or continue their skills development in dis4 ciplines related to those workforces to meet the de5 mand for nurses, public health and allied health pro6 fessionals, and physician assistants. 

7 (2) ISSUES TO BE EXAMINED.—In carrying out 

8 the program, the Secretary may examine the feasi9 bility of methods such as the following: 

10 (A) Methods to improve the transitions, 

11 skills development, and employment of 

12 transitioning military members for and in nurs13 ing, public health and allied health professional, 

14 and physician assistant occupations with wages 

15 sufficient to support families. 

16 (B) Methods to align nursing, public health 

17 and allied health professional, and physician as18 sistant skills acquired in military occupations 

19 with skills required in related civilian health oc20 cupations, including aligning the skills— 

21 (i) using guidelines for assessments 

22 and credentials that employers value in the 

23 hiring process, and credentials that are in24 dustry-recognized and approved by the Sec25 retary; and 


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1 (ii) by means that may include the use 

2 of a modified or enhanced Department of 

3 Defense transition program or a Depart4 ment of Labor transition program, such as 

5 the program carried out under chapter 41 of 

6 title 38, United States Code. 

7 (C) Methods to ensure that military mem8 bers receive education and training, including 

9 training through apprenticeship programs, and 

10 necessary support services, that are flexible, 

11 available (including available for deployed mili12 tary members), adequate for individuals seeking 

13 to make the transition to civilian nursing, public 

14 health and allied health, and physician assistant 

15 occupations, and consistent with academic re16 quirements of the institution involved. 

17 (D) Methods to align education and train18 ing programs, including apprenticeship pro19 grams, for veterans in nursing, public health and 

20 allied health professional, and physician assist21 ant occupations with education and training 

22 programs for those occupations that are provided 

23 for the public. 

24 (E) Methods to enable military members to 

25 accelerate application for admission, acceptance, 


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1 and graduation as students in nursing, public 

2 health and allied health, and physician assistant 

3 disciplines at 2-year and 4-year institutions of 

4 higher education, based on military credentials 

5 and experience. 

6 (F) Methods to help military members ob7 tain credentials related to those health care occu8 pations that are industry-recognized, are ap9 proved by the Secretary, and satisfy both mili10 tary requirements and civilian requirements, 

11 prior to release of the members from the mili12 tary. 

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

14 grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit an 

15 application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

16 manner, and containing such information as the Sec17 retary may require including each of the following: 

18 (A) An assurance that the entity agrees 

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

20 work in conjunction with a local board and enter 

21 into a partnership that includes, as principal 

22 partners, employers, labor organizations, postsec23 ondary education institutions including institu24 tions of higher education, veterans service orga25 nizations, and other community organizations. 


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1 (B) Information— 

2 (i) in demonstrating the capability of 

3 the entity in working with transitioning 

4 military members; 

5 (ii) demonstrating that the entity has 

6 a history of effective collaboration with— 

7 (I) health care employers; 

8 (II) State boards or local boards, 

9 as appropriate; and 

10 (III) institutions of higher edu11 cation and other nursing, public health 

12 and allied health professional, and 

13 physician assistant educators or train14 ers; and 

15 (iii) demonstrating knowledge of train16 ing and best practices of the health care in17 dustry. 

18 (C) An assurance that the entity will par19 ticipate in the Secretary’s evaluation plan for 

20 the demonstration program, including partici21 pating in required reporting for the plan. 

22 (4) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In order to select en23 tities to receive grants for projects under this sub24 section, the Secretary shall establish selection criteria 

25 consistent with this subsection and shall ensure that 


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1 the criteria give priority to entities that demonstrate 

2 the ability to leverage of public or private funds to 

3 sustain such a project after the grant period. 

4 (5) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL AS5 SISTANCE.—Using not more than 10 percent of the 

6 amount made available to carry out this subsection, 

7 the Secretary may— 

8 (A) conduct an evaluation to determine 

9 promising methods of increasing the number of 

10 highly skilled transitioning military members 

11 who enter civilian nursing, public health and al12 lied health, or physician assistant occupations 

13 and earn wages sufficient to support families; 

14 and 

15 (B) provide technical assistance to entities 

16 receiving grants under this subsection, relating 

17 to the promising methods. 

18 (6) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

19 ‘‘allied health professional’’ means a health profes20 sional (other than a registered nurse or physician as21 sistant) who— 

22 (A) has received a certificate, an associate 

23 degree, a baccalaureate degree, a master’s degree, 

24 a doctoral degree, or postbaccalaureate training, 

25 in a science relating to health care; 


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1 (B) shares in the responsibility for the de2 livery of health care services or related services, 

3 including— 

4 (i) services relating to the identifica5 tion, evaluation, and prevention of disease 

6 and disorders; 

7 (ii) dietary and nutrition services; 

8 (iii) health promotion services; 

9 (iv) rehabilitation services; or 

10 (v) health systems management serv11 ices; and 

12 (C) has not received— 

13 (i) a degree of doctor of medicine; 

14 (ii) a degree of doctor of osteopathy; 

15 (iii) a degree of doctor of dentistry or 

16 an equivalent degree; 

17 (iv) a degree of doctor of veterinary 

18 medicine or an equivalent degree; 

19 (v) a degree of doctor of optometry or 

20 an equivalent degree; 

21 (vi) a degree of doctor of podiatric 

22 medicine or an equivalent degree; 

23 (vii) a degree of bachelor of science in 

24 pharmacy or an equivalent degree; 


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1 (viii) a degree of doctor of pharmacy 

2 or an equivalent degree; 

3 (ix) a graduate degree in public health 

4 or an equivalent degree; 

5 (x) a degree of doctor of chiropractic or 

6 an equivalent degree; 

7 (xi) a graduate degree in health ad8 ministration or an equivalent degree; 

9 (xii) a doctoral degree in clinical psy10 chology or an equivalent degree; 

11 (xiii) a degree in social work or an 

12 equivalent degree; or 

13 (xiv) a degree in counseling or an 

14 equivalent degree. 

15 (7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 this subsection $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2011 through 2013. 

19 (c) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SECURITY MILITARY

20 PATHWAYS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, act22 ing through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Vet23 erans’ Employment and Training and after consulta24 tion with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 

25 Secretary of Defense, shall establish a demonstration 


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1 program and carry out the program by making 

2 grants, on a competitive basis, for demonstration 

3 projects. The projects shall be designed to test the fea4 sibility of methods of enabling transitioning military 

5 members to build on skills learned in many military 

6 jobs, to enter the law enforcement and security work7 force or continue their skills development in law en8 forcement and security disciplines to meet the demand 

9 for law enforcement and security officers. 

10 (2) ANNUAL NUMBER OF GRANTS.—In any 12- 

11 month period of the demonstration program, the Sec12 retary may not award more than 5 grants for dem13 onstration projects described in this subsection. 

14 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

16 this subsection $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

17 2011 through 2013. 

18 (d) MONITORING OF USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary 

19 shall monitor and evaluate the use of amounts made avail20 able through grants made under this section. In monitoring 

21 and evaluating the use of such amounts, the Secretary shall 

22 collect from the grant recipients such information as the 

23 Secretary considers to be appropriate, including data on 

24 the outcomes relating to the services provided to each vet25 eran under this section. 


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1 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the com2 pletion of the demonstration programs carried out under 

3 subsections (a), (b), and (c), the Secretary shall prepare and 

4 submit, to the appropriate committees of Congress and 

5 heads of appropriate Federal agencies, a report on the find6 ings and outcomes of the demonstration programs. The re7 port shall include analysis and a description of methods 

8 for enabling veterans to transfer military occupational 

9 skills from military service to employment in the civilian 

10 labor market. The Secretary shall broadly distribute the re11 port through the veterans service organizations, State 

12 boards, and local boards. 

13 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘ap15 prenticeship program’’ means a program registered 

16 under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known 

17 as the ‘‘National Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, 

18 chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 

19 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

20 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the mean21 ing given the term in section 101 of the Higher Edu22 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

23 (3) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.—The term 

24 ‘‘postsecondary education’’ means— 


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1 (A) a 4-year program of instruction, or not 

2 less than a 1-year program of instruction that is 

3 acceptable for credit toward a baccalaureate de4 gree or an associate degree, offered by an institu5 tion of higher education; or 

6 (B) a certificate or apprenticeship program 

7 at the postsecondary level offered by an institu8 tion of higher education, a nonprofit educational 

9 institution, or a labor-management partnership. 

10 (4) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT DEFINITIONS.— 

11 The terms ‘‘adult education’’, ‘‘community-based or12 ganization’’, ‘‘local board’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, ‘‘State 

13 board’’, and ‘‘veteran’’ have the meanings given the 

14 terms in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act 

15 of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

16 SEC. 6. VETERANS CORPS GRANT PROGRAMS. 

17 (a) GRANT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af19 fairs shall, in consultation with the Secretary of 

20 Labor, establish— 

21 (A) a grant program to award grants to 

22 States to establish veteran-to-veteran corps; and 

23 (B) a grant program to award grants to 

24 States to establish veterans conservation corps. 


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1 (2) DURATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af2 fairs shall carry out each grant program established 

3 under paragraph (1) during the three-year period be4 ginning on the date of the commencement of the grant 

5 program. 

6 (3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 

7 awarded to a State under this section in any year 

8 may not exceed $250,000. 

9 (4) ANNUAL NUMBER OF GRANTS.—In any 12- 

10 month period of a grant program established under 

11 paragraph (1), the Secretary may not award more 

12 than five grants under that program. 

13 (b) VETERAN-TO-VETERAN CORPS.—For purposes of 

14 this section, a veteran-to-veteran corps is a corps that— 

15 (1) is established by a State or State-approved 

16 entity— 

17 (A) within the veterans agency of the State; 

18 or 

19 (B) in affiliation with the veterans agency 

20 of the State; and 

21 (2) provides veterans with volunteer and employ22 ment opportunities with respect to projects for one or 

23 more of the following: 

24 (A) Meeting the needs of homeless veterans. 


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1 (B) Helping veterans find gainful employ2 ment, including entrepreneurship opportunities. 

3 (C) Connecting veterans with the care and 

4 benefits they may be eligible for under laws ad5 ministered by the Secretary. 

6 (c) VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS.—For purposes 

7 of this section, a veterans conservation corps is a corps 

8 that— 

9 (1) is established by a State— 

10 (A) within the veterans agency of the State; 

11 or 

12 (B) in affiliation with the veterans agency 

13 of the State; and 

14 (2) provides veterans with volunteer and employ15 ment opportunities with respect to conservation 

16 projects for one or more of the following: 

17 (A) To restore natural habitat. 

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

19 (i) forest lands; 

20 (ii) parks and reserves; and 

21 (iii) other reservations, water, and out22 door lands. 

23 (C) To maintain and improve urban and 

24 suburban storm water management facilities and 

25 other water management facilities. 


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1 (D) To carry out hazardous materials and 

2 spills response, energy efficiency and other envi3 ronmental maintenance, stewardship, and res4 toration projects. 

5 (d) TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND CERTIFICATION.— 

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

7 under this section to establish a veteran-to-veteran 

8 corps or a veterans conservation corps shall ensure 

9 that such corps incorporates into the volunteer and 

10 employment opportunities provided by such corps suf11 ficient training, education, and certification in re12 lated fields. 

13 (2) CONSULTATION.—Such State shall ensure 

14 that, in incorporating training, education, and cer15 tification into volunteer and employment opportuni16 ties under paragraph (1), the veteran-to-veteran corps 

17 and the veterans conservation corps consults with the 

18 following: 

19 (A) State and local workforce investment 

20 boards. 

21 (B) Local institutions of higher education, 

22 including community colleges. 

23 (C) Private schools. 

24 (D) State or local agencies, including State 

25 employment agencies and State forest services. 


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1 (E) Labor organizations. 

2 (F) Business involved in the environmental 

3 industry, in the case of the veterans conservation 

4 corps. 

5 (G) Veteran-owned businesses and businesses 

6 serving veterans, in the case of the veteran-to-vet7 eran corps. 

8 (H) Such other entities as the Secretary of 

9 Veterans Affairs considers appropriate. 

10 (e) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.—A State receiving a 

11 grant under this section to establish a veteran-to-veteran 

12 corps or veterans conservation corps shall ensure that such 

13 corps partners with one-stop centers, State and local work14 force investment boards, and other State agencies to assist 

15 veterans enrolled in such corps in obtaining employment 

16 in related fields. 

17 (f) SERVICES.— 

18 (1) VETERAN-TO-VETERAN CORPS.—A State re19 ceiving a grant under this section to establish a vet20 eran-to-veteran corps shall ensure that such corps— 

21 (A) assesses of the veterans participating in 

22 the Corps the skills to help such veterans identify 

23 appropriate employment opportunities in their 

24 local communities that utilize the skills they de25 veloped while in the Armed Forces; 


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1 (B) makes use of the abilities of partici2 pating veterans to help other veterans and, when 

3 practicable, provides opportunities for partici4 pating veterans to provide assistance to veterans 

5 who have experience similar circumstances; 

6 (C) assists with or provides referrals for ob7 taining benefits available to veterans; 

8 (D) facilitates internships or job shadowing 

9 for veterans; and 

10 (E) matches veterans with veteran assist11 ance projects that are aligned with the goals of 

12 the veterans participating in the corps. 

13 (2) VETERANS CONSERVATION CORPS.—A State 

14 receiving a grant under this section to establish a vet15 erans conservation corps shall ensure that such 

16 corps— 

17 (A) assesses of the veterans participating in 

18 the Corps the skills to help such veterans identify 

19 appropriate employment opportunities in their 

20 local communities that utilize the skills they de21 veloped while in the Armed Forces; 

22 (B) assists with or provides referrals for ob23 taining benefits available to veterans; 

24 (C) facilitates internships or job shadowing 

25 for veterans; and 


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1 (D) matches veterans with conservation 

2 projects that are aligned with the goals of the 

3 veterans. 

4 (3) PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE AND LOCAL

5 WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS.—In carrying out 

6 subparagraphs (A) and (D) of paragraph (1) and 

7 subparagraphs (A) and (C) of paragraph (2), the 

8 State shall partner with State and local workforce in9 vestment boards. 

10 (g) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Each State receiving a grant 

11 under this section shall submit to the Secretary and the ap12 propriate committees of Congress an annual report, sub13 mitted within one-year of the receipt of the grant, on the 

14 performance of the veteran-to-veteran corps or the veterans 

15 conservation corps of such State, including the following: 

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

17 used. 

18 (2) An assessment of the performance of such 

19 corps, including a description of the current veterans 

20 labor market in such State and the veterans labor 

21 market in such State in the previous year. 

22 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.— 

24 The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ 

25 means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Appropriations and 

2 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; 

3 and 

4 (B) the Committee on Appropriations and 

5 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

6 of Representatives. 

7 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

8 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the mean9 ing given the term in section 101 of the Higher Edu10 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

11 (3) ONE-STOP CENTER.—The term ‘‘one-stop cen12 ter’’ means a one-stop center described in section 

13 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

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

15 (4) STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT

16 BOARDS.—The term ‘‘State and local workforce in17 vestment boards’’ means a State workforce investment 

18 board and a local workforce investment board as such 

19 terms are defined in section 101 of the Workforce In20 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

21 SEC. 7. REPORT AND STUDY ON TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

22 PROGRAM. 

23 (a) REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVE24 MENTS TO THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO


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1 BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED

2 FORCES AND VETERANS.— 

3 (1) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 

4 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

5 Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor, act6 ing through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Vet7 erans’ Employment and Training, shall jointly sub8 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a re9 port setting forth recommendations for improvements 

10 and enhancements of the Transition Assistance Pro11 gram (TAP) in order to better meet the needs of mem12 bers of the Armed Forces and veterans. 

13 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para14 graph (1) shall include the following: 

15 (A) A description and assessment of the ex16 tent to which the current Transition Assistance 

17 Program meets the needs of members of the 

18 Armed Forces and veterans. 

19 (B) Recommendations for improvements 

20 and enhancements of the Transition Assistance 

21 Program in order to ensure— 

22 (i) the comprehensiveness of the pro23 grams and activities under the program; 

24 and 


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1 (ii) the consistency of the programs 

2 and activities under the program across the 

3 Armed Forces and among the military in4 stallations at which the program is carried 

5 out. 

6 (C) Recommendations for improvements 

7 and enhancements of the Transition Assistance 

8 Program to ensure that the program meets the 

9 needs of veterans residing in localities in the vi10 cinity of military installations at which the pro11 gram is carried out. 

12 (D) A description and assessment of the 

13 programs and activities offered to veterans who 

14 have completed participation in the Transition 

15 Assistance Program in order to further assist 

16 such veterans in their continuing transition from 

17 military life to civilian life, and recommenda18 tions for programs and activities to improve and 

19 enhance such assistance. 

20 (E) An estimate of the cost of implementing 

21 the recommendations set forth pursuant to sub22 paragraphs (B), (C), and (D) during the five fis23 cal years beginning after the date of the sub24 mittal of the report. 


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1 (F) Such other matters as the Secretary of 

2 Defense and the Secretary of Labor jointly con3 sider appropriate. 

4 (b) STUDY ON PROGRAM OF TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

5 MODELED ON NATIONAL GUARD EMPLOYMENT ENHANCE6 MENT PROGRAM OF THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL

7 GUARD.— 

8 (1) STUDY REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec10 retary of Defense shall complete a study of the Na11 tional Guard Employment Enhancement Program of 

12 the Washington National Guard to assess the feasi13 bility and advisability of carrying out a program of 

14 assistance modeled after such program for all mem15 bers of reserve components of the Armed Forces who 

16 transition from active military service to civilian life. 

17 (2) REPORT.—Upon completion of the study re18 quired by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit 

19 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

20 that includes the following: 

21 (A) The findings of the Secretary as a result 

22 of the study. 

23 (B) The recommendation of the Secretary as 

24 to the feasibility and advisability of carrying out 


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1 a program of assistance as described in para2 graph (1). 

3 (C) If the Secretary determines that car4 rying out a program of assistance as described 

5 in paragraph (1) is feasible and advisable, an es6 timate of the cost to implement the program of 

7 assistance. 

8 (c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE9 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees 

10 of Congress’’ means— 

11 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Com12 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on 

13 Appropriations of the Senate; and 

14 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Com15 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on 

16 Appropriations of the House of Representatives. 

17 SEC. 8. 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF 

18 GENDER IN UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG VET19 ERANS. 

20 (a) STUDY.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 

22 appropriated funds, the Secretary of Labor, acting 

23 through the Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employ24 ment and Training (referred to in this section as the 

25 ‘‘Secretary’’), shall conduct a study to determine 


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1 whether gender impacts the need of unemployed vet2 erans to collect unemployment benefits. The study 

3 shall be a longitudinal study, using a statistically 

4 valid sample of each group of individuals described in 

5 paragraph (2). The Secretary shall study the groups 

6 over a period of not less than 3 years. 

7 (2) COVERED GROUPS.—The groups of individ8 uals described in this paragraph are each of the fol9 lowing: 

10 (A) Unemployed women veterans who do 

11 not have dependents and who were discharged or 

12 released from the military within the past 10 

13 years. 

14 (B) Unemployed male veterans who do not 

15 have dependents and who were discharged or re16 leased from the military within the past 10 

17 years. 

18 (C) Unemployed women veterans who have 

19 dependents and who were discharged or released 

20 from the military within the past 10 years. 

21 (D) Unemployed male veterans who have 

22 dependents and who were discharged or released 

23 from the military within the past 10 years. 

24 (3) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—The Secretary shall 

25 collect for the study required under paragraph (1) 


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1 any data the Secretary determines are necessary to 

2 determine whether gender impacts the individuals’ 

3 need to collect unemployment benefits. The Secretary 

4 may add data elements to the study from time to time 

5 as necessary. In addition, the Secretary shall collect 

6 through the study, for inclusion in each report under 

7 subsection (b), all of the following information: 

8 (A) Any unemployment benefits received by 

9 such individuals. 

10 (B) The average number of months such in11 dividuals served on active duty in the Armed 

12 Forces. 

13 (C) The distribution of disability ratings of 

14 such individuals. 

15 (D) The types of other benefits administered 

16 by the Secretary and received by such individ17 uals. 

18 (E) The types of benefits received by such 

19 individuals under the old-age, survivors, and dis20 ability insurance benefits program established 

21 under title II of the Social Security Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 401 et seq.). 

23 (F) The average number of months such in24 dividuals were unemployed during the year cov25 ered by the study. 


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1 (G) The average annual starting and end2 ing salary of such individuals in their most re3 cent employment. 

4 (H) The number of such individuals with 

5 postsecondary education. 

6 (I) The average number of postsecondary 

7 academic credit hours completed, and degrees 

8 and certificates earned, by such individuals dur9 ing the year covered by the study. 

10 (J) The average number of visits such indi11 viduals made to a Department of Veterans Af12 fairs medical facility during the year covered by 

13 the study. 

14 (K) The average number of visits such indi15 viduals made to a non-Department of Veterans 

16 Affairs medical facility during the year covered 

17 by the study. 

18 (L) The average annual income of such in19 dividuals. 

20 (M) The average total household income of 

21 such individuals for the year covered by the 

22 study. 

23 (N) The percentage of such individuals who 

24 own their principal residences. 


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1 (O) The average number of dependents of 

2 each such individual. 

3 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—By not later than the July 1 

4 after each year covered by the study required under sub5 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

6 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

7 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate a report on 

8 the study during the covered year. 

9 SEC. 9. REAUTHORIZATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

10 ON CREDENTIALING AND LICENSURE OF VET11 ERANS. 

12 Section 4114 of title 38, United States Code, is amend13 ed— 

14 (1) in subsection (b)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in16 cluding the emergency medical services industry’’ 

17 after ‘‘demand’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting before 

19 the period at the end the following: ‘‘to ensure 

20 that satisfaction of such requirements may take 

21 into account, and be not duplicative of, previous 

22 coursework and training received by such mem23 bers while such members were active members of 

24 the Armed Forces’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘the Secretary 

2 of Health and Human Services,’’ after ‘‘Veterans Af3 fairs,’’; and 

4 (3) in subsection (g)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘The period’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘The periods’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘period beginning on’’ and 

8 all that follows through the period and inserting 

9 the following: ‘‘periods as follows: 

10 ‘‘(1) The period beginning on the date that is 60 

11 days after the date of the enactment of the Veterans 

12 Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology 

13 Act of 2006 and ending on September 30, 2009. 

14 ‘‘(2) The period beginning on October 1, 2011, 

15 and ending on September 30, 2013.’’. 


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Calendar No. 556 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3234 

[Report No. 111–285] 

A BILL 

To improve employment, training, and placement 

ation Enduring Freedom, and for other purposes. serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operservices furnished to veterans, especially those 

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 

Reported with an amendment 


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