I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6563 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans jobs 
corps, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 
Mr. MARKEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways 
and Means, the Budget, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, the Judiciary, 
Science, Space, and Technology, and Education and the Workforce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish 
a veterans jobs corps, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Veterans Jobs Corps. 
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Sec. 3. Employment of veterans with the Federal Government. 
Sec. 4. Requirement that States recognize military experience of veterans when 
issuing licenses and credentials to veterans. 
Sec. 5. Support for job searches of veterans through one-stop centers. 
Sec. 6. State consideration of military training in granting certain State certifi-
cations and licenses as a condition on the receipt of funds for 
veterans employment and training. 
Sec. 7. Study on value and utility of a skill credential registry. 
Sec. 8. Minimum funding levels for disabled veterans’ outreach program spe-
cialists and local veterans’ employment representatives. 
Sec. 9. Off-base transition training. 
Sec. 10. Expansion of contracting goals and preferences of Department of Vet-
erans Affairs to include small business concerns 100 percent 
but conditionally owned by veterans. 
Sec. 11. Modification of treatment under contracting goals and preferences of 
Department of Veterans Affairs for small businesses owned by 
veterans of small businesses after death of disabled veteran 
owners. 
Sec. 12. Treatment of businesses after deaths of servicemember-owners for pur-
poses of Department of Veterans Affairs contracting goals and 
preferences. 
Sec. 13. Special rule for treatment under contracting goals and preferences of 
Department of Veterans Affairs of small business concerns li-
censed in community property States. 
Sec. 14. 100 percent continuous levy on payment to medicare providers and 
suppliers. 
Sec. 15. Extension of modified pension for certain veterans covered by medicaid 
plans for services furnished by nursing facilities. 
Sec. 16. Revocation or denial of passport in case of certain unpaid taxes. 
Sec. 17. Time for payment of corporate estimated taxes. 
Sec. 18. Scoring of budgetary effects. 
SEC. 2. VETERANS JOBS CORPS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall, in cooperation with the Attorney Gen-
eral, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Secretary of the Interior, and the Commanding Gen-
eral of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, 
establish a veterans jobs corps to employ veterans— 
(A) in conservation, resource management, 
and historic preservation projects on public 
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lands 
and 
maintenance 
and 
improvement 
projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of 
the National Cemetery Administration; and 
(B) as firefighters and law enforcement of-
ficers. 
(2) ADVISORY INPUT.—The Secretary of De-
fense and the Secretary of Labor may provide the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs with advice regarding 
the establishment of the veterans jobs corps. 
(b) CONSERVATION, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, HIS-
TORIC PRESERVATION, AND CEMETERY MAINTENANCE 
AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the veterans jobs 
corps, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Sec-
retary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, 
the Secretary of the Interior, and the Commanding 
General of the United States Army Corps of Engi-
neers shall— 
(A) employ veterans to carry out projects 
described in subsection (a)(1); or 
(B) award grants to, or enter into con-
tracts with, State governments, local govern-
ments, tribal governments, or nongovernmental 
entities to employ veterans to carry out projects 
described in subsection (a)(1). 
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(2) PRIORITY.—In employing or awarding 
grants or contracts to employ veterans under this 
subsection, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Com-
merce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Com-
manding General of the United States Army Corps 
of Engineers shall give priority towards the employ-
ment of veterans who served on active duty in the 
Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001. 
(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall coordinate the activities of the 
Attorney General, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Com-
manding General of the United States Army Corps 
of Engineers to employ veterans as part of the vet-
erans job corps. 
(4) OVERSIGHT OF PROJECTS.—The secretaries 
referred to in paragraph (1) and the Commanding 
General of the United States Army Corps of Engi-
neers shall each provide oversight of the projects for 
which they employ veterans under subparagraph (A) 
of such paragraph or award grants or enter into 
contracts under subparagraph (B) of such para-
graph. 
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(c) FIRST RESPONDERS.— 
(1) FIREFIGHTERS.—As part of the veterans 
jobs corps, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
award grants under section 34 of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2229a) to hire veterans as firefighters. 
(2) LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.—As part of 
the veterans jobs corps, the Attorney General shall 
award grants under part Q of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
U.S.C. 3796dd et seq.) to hire veterans as law en-
forcement officers. 
(3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
subsection to hire veterans, the Secretary of Home-
land Security and the Attorney General shall give 
priority to the hiring of veterans who served on ac-
tive duty in the Armed Forces on or after September 
11, 2001. 
(d) ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs may provide assistance to the secretaries de-
scribed in subsection (a), the Attorney General, and 
the Commanding General of the United States Army 
Corps of Engineers to carry out the veterans jobs 
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corps. Such assistance may take the form of a trans-
fer under paragraph (2). 
(2) TRANSFERS.—Except as otherwise provided 
in this subsection, of amounts appropriated or other-
wise made available to the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs to carry out this section, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs may transfer such amounts as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate to carry out the vet-
erans jobs corps to the following: 
(A) The Attorney General. 
(B) The Secretary of Agriculture. 
(C) The Secretary of Commerce. 
(D) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 
(E) The Secretary of the Interior. 
(F) The Commanding General of the 
United States Army Corps of Engineers. 
(3) ASSISTANCE
FOR
CONSERVATION, 
RE-
SOURCE
MANAGEMENT, HISTORIC
PRESERVATION, 
AND CEMETERY MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT 
PROJECTS.— 
(A) APPLICATION.—If a secretary referred 
to in subsection (b)(1) or the Commanding 
General of the United States Army Corps of 
Engineers seeks assistance under paragraph (1) 
to employ a veteran to carry out a project 
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under subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) or 
to award a grant or contract to carry out a 
project under subparagraph (B) of such sub-
section, such secretary or the Commanding 
General shall submit to the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs an application therefor at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may require. 
(B) SELECTION.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall, in consultation with the 
steering committee established under subpara-
graph (C), award assistance under this para-
graph in accordance with such criteria as the 
steering committee establishes. 
(C) STEERING COMMITTEE.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall establish a steering 
committee— 
(I) to establish selection criteria 
for the awarding of assistance under 
paragraph (1) to employ a veteran to 
carry out a project under subpara-
graph (A) of subsection (b)(1) or to 
award a grant or contract to carry out 
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a project under subparagraph (B) of 
such subsection; and 
(II) to provide the Secretary of 
Veterans 
Affairs 
with 
advice 
on 
awarding assistance under this sub-
section with respect to projects de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1) and car-
rying out the veterans jobs corps 
under subsection (b). 
(ii) COMPOSITION.—The steering com-
mittee shall be composed of the following: 
(I) The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(II) The Secretary of Agri-
culture. 
(III) The Secretary of Com-
merce. 
(IV) The Secretary of the Inte-
rior. 
(V) The Commanding General of 
the United States Army Corps of En-
gineers. 
(iii) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson 
of the steering committee shall be the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs. 
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(iv) ADVISORY INPUT.—The Secretary 
of Defense and the Secretary of Labor may 
provide advice to the steering committee. 
(4) ASSISTANCE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.—Not 
more than 10 percent of amounts appropriated or 
otherwise made available to the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs to carry out this section may be trans-
ferred to the Attorney General and the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to employ veterans under sub-
section (c). 
(e) REPORTING FRAMEWORK.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall establish a reporting framework to reg-
ularly monitor and evaluate the veterans jobs corps to en-
sure proper oversight and accountability of the veterans 
jobs corps. 
(f) OUTREACH.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, ensure 
that veterans employed under the veterans jobs corps are 
aware of benefits and assistance available to them under 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
and benefits and assistance available to them under laws 
administered by the Secretary of Labor, particularly with 
respect to education, training, and related benefits that 
might complement their employment under the veterans 
jobs corps. 
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(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is available without 
further appropriation to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to carry out this section, $1,000,000,000 for 
the period of fiscal years 2012 through 2017. 
(2) LIMITATION.—Of amounts made appro-
priated or otherwise made available to carry out this 
section, not more than five percent may be spent to 
administer the veterans jobs corps. 
(h) VETERAN DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given the term in section 101 
of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS WITH THE FEDERAL 
GOVERNMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4214 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4)(A) The requirement under this section is in ad-
dition to the appointment of qualified covered veterans 
under the authority under paragraph (1) by the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. 
‘‘(B) The head of each agency, in consultation with 
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall 
develop a plan for exercising the authority under para-
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graph (1) during the five-year period beginning on the 
date of enactment of the Careers for Veterans Act of 
2012. 
‘‘(C) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage-
ment shall ensure that under the plans developed under 
subparagraph (B) agencies shall appoint to existing vacan-
cies not fewer than 10,000 qualified covered veterans dur-
ing the five-year period beginning on the date of enact-
ment of the Careers for Veterans Act of 2012.’’; 
(2) in subsection (d), in the third sentence, by 
inserting ‘‘(including, during the 5-year period be-
ginning on the date of enactment of the Careers for 
Veterans Act of 2012, the development and imple-
mentation by each agency of the plan required under 
subsection (b)(4), which shall include information re-
garding the grade or pay level of appointments by 
the agency under the plan and whether the appoint-
ments are, or are converted to, career or career-con-
ditional appointments)’’ after ‘‘subsection (b) of this 
section’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in the matter before subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘to the Congress’’ and in-
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serting ‘‘to the appropriate committees of 
Congress’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
‘‘(including, during the 5-year period be-
ginning on the date of enactment of the 
Careers for Veterans Act of 2012, the de-
velopment and implementation by the 
agency of the plan required under sub-
section (b)(4), which shall include informa-
tion regarding the grade or pay level of ap-
pointments by the agency under the plan 
and whether the appointments are, or are 
converted to, permanent appointments)’’ 
before the period; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) In this subsection, the term ‘appropriate com-
mittees of Congress’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and 
the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs of the Senate; and 
‘‘(B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and 
the Committee on Oversight and Government Re-
form of the House of Representatives.’’. 
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Per-
sonnel Management shall submit to the appropriate com-
mittees of Congress (as defined under section 4214(e)(3) 
of title 38, United States Code, as amended by subsection 
(a)) regarding the development of a plan to carry out the 
amendments made by subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT THAT STATES RECOGNIZE MILITARY 
EXPERIENCE OF VETERANS WHEN ISSUING 
LICENSES AND CREDENTIALS TO VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4102A(c) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(9)(A) As a condition of a grant or contract under 
which funds are made available to a State under sub-
section (b)(5) in order to carry out section 4103A or 4104 
of this title, the State shall— 
‘‘(i) establish a program under which the State 
administers an examination to each veteran seeking 
a license or credential issued by the State and issues 
such license or credential to such veteran without re-
quiring such veteran to undergo any training or ap-
prenticeship if the veteran— 
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‘‘(I) receives a satisfactory score on com-
pletion of such examination, as determined by 
the State; and 
‘‘(II) has not less than 10 years of experi-
ence in a military occupational specialty that, 
as determined by the State, is similar to a civil-
ian occupation for which such license or creden-
tial is required by the State; and 
‘‘(ii) submit each year to the Secretary a report 
on the exams administered under clause (i) during 
the most recently completed 12-month period that 
includes, for the period covered by the report the 
number of veterans who completed an exam adminis-
tered by the State under clause (i) and a description 
of the results of such exams, disaggregated by occu-
pational field. 
‘‘(B) Not less frequently than once each year, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress and the Secretary of 
Defense a report summarizing the information received by 
the Secretary under subparagraph (A)(ii).’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) EXAMS.—Subparagraph (A) of section 
4102A(c)(9) of such title, as added by subsection 
(a), shall take effect on the date that is one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 
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apply with respect to grants and contracts described 
in such subparagraph awarded after such date. 
(2) REPORTS.—Subparagraph (B) of section 
4102A(c)(9), as added by subsection (a), shall take 
effect on the date that is one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act and the Secretary of 
Labor shall submit the first report under such sub-
paragraph not later than two years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. SUPPORT FOR JOB SEARCHES OF VETERANS 
THROUGH ONE-STOP CENTERS. 
(a) FURNISHING
OF
LIST
OF
INTERNET
RE-
SOURCES.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall furnish 
each one-stop center with a list of all Internet websites 
and applications that the Secretary has identified as bene-
ficial for veterans in pursuit of employment to their pur-
suit. 
(b) IDENTIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.— 
The Secretary shall coordinate with public and private sec-
tor entities to identify Internet websites and applications 
not already included in a list furnished under subsection 
(a) that— 
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(1) match veterans seeking employment with 
available jobs based on the skills the veterans ac-
quired as members of the Armed Forces; and 
(2) allow employers to post information about 
available jobs. 
(c) SUPPLEMENTS.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
furnish each one-stop center with a list of Internet 
websites and applications identified under subsection (b). 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 455 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
on the use of the Internet websites and applications identi-
fied under subsection (b) for the benefit of veterans in 
pursuit of employment. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
and the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives. 
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(2) ONE-STOP
CENTER.—The term ‘‘one-stop 
center’’ means a center described in section 134(c) 
of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
2864(c)). 
SEC. 6. STATE CONSIDERATION OF MILITARY TRAINING IN 
GRANTING CERTAIN STATE CERTIFICATIONS 
AND LICENSES AS A CONDITION ON THE RE-
CEIPT OF FUNDS FOR VETERANS EMPLOY-
MENT AND TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4102A(c) of title 38, 
United States Code, as amended by section 4, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10)(A) As a condition of a grant or contract under 
which funds are made available to a State in order to carry 
out section 4103A or 4104 of this title for any program 
year, the Secretary shall require the State— 
‘‘(i) to demonstrate that when the State ap-
proves or denies a certification or license described 
in subparagraph (B) for a veteran the State takes 
into consideration any training received or experi-
ence gained by the veteran while serving on active 
duty in the Armed Forces; and 
‘‘(ii) to disclose to the Secretary in writing the 
following: 
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‘‘(I) Criteria applicants must satisfy to re-
ceive a certification or license described in sub-
paragraph (B) by the State. 
‘‘(II) A description of the standard prac-
tices of the State for evaluating training re-
ceived by veterans while serving on active duty 
in the Armed Forces and evaluating the docu-
mented work experience of such veterans during 
such service for purposes of approving or deny-
ing a certification or license described in sub-
paragraph (B). 
‘‘(III) Identification of areas in which 
training and experience described in subclause 
(II) fails to meet criteria described in subclause 
(I).’’ 
‘‘(B) A certification or license described in this sub-
paragraph is any of the following that is issued or awarded 
by a State: 
‘‘(i) A license to be a State tested nursing as-
sistant or a certified nursing assistant. 
‘‘(ii) A commercial driver’s license. 
‘‘(iii) An emergency medical technician license 
EMT–B or EMT–I. 
‘‘(iv) An emergency medical technician–para-
medic license. 
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‘‘(C) The Secretary shall share the information the 
Secretary receives under subparagraph (A)(ii) with the 
Secretary of Defense to help the Secretary of Defense im-
prove training for military occupational specialties so that 
individuals who receive such training are able to receive 
a certification or license described in subparagraph (B) 
from a State. 
‘‘(D) The Secretary of Defense shall provide technical 
assistance and guidance to States on the training mem-
bers of the Armed Forces receive for military occupational 
specialties so that States can make informed decisions 
with respect to certifying and licensing veterans.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the first program 
year that begins on or after the date that is one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act and each program 
year thereafter. 
(c) MODIFICATION
OF TRAINING PROGRAMS
FOR 
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall work with certification and licensing orga-
nizations and the Secretary of Labor to identify com-
monalities between military occupational specialties and 
civilian occupations and may revise the training programs 
for military occupational specialties so that members of 
the Armed Forces who complete such training programs 
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develop the skills required for certification or licensing in 
civilian occupations that are similar to the military occu-
pational specialties for which they were trained in the 
Armed Forces. 
SEC. 7. STUDY ON VALUE AND UTILITY OF A SKILL CRE-
DENTIAL REGISTRY. 
(a) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary of Labor 
and the Secretary of Education, in consultation with Sec-
retary of Commerce, shall jointly conduct a study to deter-
mine the value and utility of a registry of recognized post-
secondary credentials valued by employers, individuals, 
providers of education and training, economic development 
professionals, State and local officials, and other relevant 
stakeholders. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The study in subsection (a) shall 
address, at a minimum, the following: 
(1) The type of organization, or consortium of 
organizations, that should manage or operate such a 
registry. 
(2) The administration of such a registry, espe-
cially how such administration would be supported 
with non-Federal funds. 
(3) How such a registry would be maintained 
and kept current so as to be of greatest value. 
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(4) How the quality and integrity of the creden-
tials cataloged in such a registry would be ensured, 
so as to be of the greatest value. 
(5) How the contents of such a registry could 
inform the provision of education and training serv-
ices through Federal education and workforce devel-
opment programs. 
(6) How such a registry would be marketed and 
utilized so as to be of greatest value. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor and 
the Secretary of Education shall jointly submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate and the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives a report on 
the results of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Labor 
and the Secretary of Education $250,000 to conduct the 
study required by subsection (a). 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘‘indus-
try-recognized’’, used with respect to a credential, 
means a credential that— 
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(A) is sought or accepted by employers 
within the industry sector involved as recog-
nized, preferred, or required for recruitment, 
screening, hiring, or advancement; 
(B) is endorsed by a recognized trade or 
professional association or organization, rep-
resenting a significant part of the industry sec-
tor; and 
(C) is a nationally portable credential, 
meaning a credential that is sought or accepted, 
across multiple States, as described in subpara-
graph (A). 
(2) RECOGNIZED
POSTSECONDARY
CREDEN-
TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden-
tial’’ means a credential consisting of an industry- 
recognized credential for postsecondary training, a 
certificate that meets the requirements of subpara-
graphs (A) and (C) of paragraph (1) for postsec-
ondary training, a certificate of completion of a post-
secondary apprenticeship through a program de-
scribed in Section 122(a)(2)(B) of the Workforce In-
vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2842(a)(2)(B)), or 
an associate degree or baccalaureate degree awarded 
by an institution of higher education (as defined in 
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section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001 (a))). 
SEC. 8. MINIMUM FUNDING LEVELS FOR DISABLED VET-
ERANS’ OUTREACH PROGRAM SPECIALISTS 
AND LOCAL VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT REP-
RESENTATIVES. 
(a) 
IN
GENERAL.—Clause 
(iii) 
of 
section 
4102A(c)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘(iii)(I) In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary 
shall establish minimum funding levels and hold-harmless 
criteria for States. 
‘‘(II) Except as provided in subclause (III), at a min-
imum, the minimum funding levels established under sub-
clause (I) shall ensure that each State receives sufficient 
funding to support at least one disabled veterans’ outreach 
program specialist appointed under section 4103A(a)(1) 
of this title and one local veterans’ employment represent-
ative assigned under section 4104(b) of this title per 5,000 
square miles of service delivery area within the State. 
‘‘(III) In determining minimum funding levels under 
subclause (II), the Secretary may exclude consideration of 
counties with a population density of less than one person 
per square mile.’’. 
(b) REPORT.— 
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‘‘(A) In the case of a surviving spouse, the ear-
liest of the following dates: 
‘‘(i) The date on which the surviving 
spouse remarries. 
‘‘(ii) The date on which the surviving 
spouse relinquishes an ownership interest in the 
small business concern and no longer owns at 
least 51 percent of such small business concern. 
‘‘(iii) The date that is ten years after the 
date of the member’s death. 
‘‘(B) In the case of a dependent who is not a 
spouse, the earliest of the following dates: 
‘‘(i) The date on which the surviving de-
pendant relinquishes an ownership interest in 
the small business concern and no longer owns 
at least 51 percent of such small business con-
cern. 
‘‘(ii) The date that is ten years after the 
date of the member’s death.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (i) of section 
8127 of such title, as added by subsection (a), shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 
apply with respect to the deaths of members of the Armed 
Forces occurring on or after such date. 
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