I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5067 
To transition military veterans into new careers in education, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 13, 2019 
Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Edu-
cation and Labor, the Judiciary, and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To transition military veterans into new careers in education, 
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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Troops Educating And 
Managing Schools Act’’ or the ‘‘TEAMS Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. VETERANS-TO-CLASSROOMS PROGRAM. 
(a) MODIFICATION AND REDESIGNATION OF PRO-
GRAM.—Section 1154 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking: ‘‘em-
ployment as teachers: Troops-to-Teachers 
Program’’ and inserting ‘‘employment in 
schools: 
Veterans-to-Classrooms 
Pro-
gram’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(2) 
through (8) as paragraphs (4) through (10), re-
spectively; 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of Defense. 
‘‘(3) COVERED POSITION.— 
‘‘(A) The term ‘covered position’ means a 
full-time position in an eligible school as— 
‘‘(i) a teacher, including an elemen-
tary school teacher, a secondary school 
teacher, and a career and technical edu-
cation teacher; 
‘‘(ii) a school leader; 
‘‘(iii) a school administrator; 
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‘‘(iv) a nurse; 
‘‘(v) a principal; 
‘‘(vi) a counselor; 
‘‘(vii) a teaching aide; 
‘‘(viii) specialized instructional sup-
port personnel; 
‘‘(ix) a school resource officer; or 
‘‘(x) a contractor who performs the 
functions of a position described in any of 
clauses (i) through (viii).’’; 
(C) by amending paragraph (4), as so re-
designated, to read as follows: 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE
SCHOOL.—The term ‘eligible 
school’ means— 
‘‘(A) a public elementary school, including 
a public elementary charter school; 
‘‘(B) a public secondary school, including a 
public secondary charter school; or 
‘‘(C) a Bureau-funded school as defined in 
section 1141(3) of the Education Amendments 
of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021(3)).’’; 
(D) in paragraph (8), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘Troops-to-Teachers’’ and inserting 
‘‘Veterans-to-Classrooms’’; 
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(E) by striking paragraph (9), as so redes-
ignated, and inserting the following new para-
graph (9): 
‘‘(9) SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.—The term 
‘school resource officer’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 1709(4) of the Omnibus Crime Con-
trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10389(4)).’’; and 
(F) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘and ‘State’ ’’ and inserting ‘‘ ‘spe-
cialized instructional support personnel’, and 
‘State’ ’’; 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘Secretary of Defense may carry 
out a Troops-to-Teachers Program’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘The Secretary of Defense, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Education, may carry out 
a Veterans-to-Classrooms Program’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘become 
a teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘obtain a covered posi-
tion’’; and 
(C) by amending subparagraph (A) of 
paragraph (2) to read as follows: 
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‘‘(A) by local educational agencies or char-
ter schools in States with a shortage of individ-
uals to fill covered positions, as determined by 
the Secretary of Education.’’; 
(4) in subsection (d)(4)(A)— 
(A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or career or 
technical subjects’’ and inserting ‘‘career and 
technical education, or subjects relating to a 
covered position’’; and 
(B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘in a cov-
ered position or’’ after ‘‘seek employment’’; 
(5) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 
(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘become 
a teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘obtain a covered 
position’’; and 
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘as an 
elementary school teacher’’ and all that fol-
lows through the period at the end and in-
serting ‘‘in a covered position for not less 
than three school years in an eligible 
school to begin the school year after the 
member obtains the professional creden-
tials required for the position involved’’; 
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(B) in paragraph (2)(E), by striking ‘‘as a 
teacher in an eligible elementary school or sec-
ondary school or as a career or technical teach-
er’’ and inserting ‘‘in a covered position’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) in the first sentence, by strik-
ing ‘‘educational level, certification, or 
licensing’’ and inserting ‘‘educational 
level, certification, licensing, or other 
professional credentials’’; and 
(II) in the second sentence, by 
striking 
‘‘$5,000’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘$9,000 (except as adjusted by the 
Secretary in accordance with subpara-
graph (D))’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘as 
an elementary school teacher, sec-
ondary school teacher, or career or 
technical teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘in a 
covered position’’; and 
(II) in clause (ii), by striking 
‘‘may not exceed $5,000, unless the 
eligible school is a high-need school, in 
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which case the amount of the bonus 
may not exceed $10,000’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘may not exceed $9,000 (except 
as adjusted by the Secretary in ac-
cordance with subparagraph (D)), un-
less the eligible school is a high-need 
school, in which case the amount of 
the bonus may not exceed $18,000 
(except as so adjusted)’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (C)— 
(I) in clause (i), by striking 
‘‘5,000’’ and inserting ‘‘20,000’’; 
(II) in clause (ii), by striking 
‘‘3,000’’ and inserting ‘‘5,000’’; and 
(III) in clause (iv), by striking 
‘‘$10,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$18,000 
(except as adjusted by the Secretary 
in 
accordance 
with 
subparagraph 
(D))’’; and 
(iv) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D)(i) The Secretary may adjust the dollar 
amounts set forth in subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), and 
(C)(iv) to reflect changes in the Consumer Price 
Index over the applicable period. 
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‘‘(ii) In this subparagraph, the term ‘applicable 
period’ means— 
‘‘(I) with respect to an initial adjustment 
under clause (i), the period that has elapsed 
since the date of the enactment of the TEAMS 
Act; or 
‘‘(II) with respect to any adjustment after 
the initial adjustment, the period that has 
elapsed since the date of the most recent ad-
justment under clause (i).’’; 
(6) in subsection (f)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘become a teacher’’ 
and inserting ‘‘obtain a covered position’’; 
and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘as an elementary 
school teacher, secondary school teacher, or 
career or technical teacher’’ and insert ‘‘in 
a covered position’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, 
employment as an elementary school teacher, 
secondary school teacher, or career or technical 
teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘employment in a cov-
ered position’’; 
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(7) in subsection (h)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘as ele-
mentary school teachers, secondary school teachers, 
and career or technical teachers’’ and inserting ‘‘in 
covered positions’’; and 
(8) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(j) PARTNERSHIPS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 
into one or more partnerships with States, local edu-
cational agencies, or covered entities— 
‘‘(A) to help sustain and expand the reach 
of the Veterans-to-Classrooms Program to pro-
mote careers in education among current and 
future veterans under this section; 
‘‘(B) to provide information on the Pro-
gram in accordance with subsection (k)(2) in 
widely available, user-friendly formats; 
‘‘(C) to help recruit more veterans, includ-
ing veterans who are retired law enforcement 
officers, and service members who are within 6 
months of transitioning out of the military into 
new careers in education; 
‘‘(D) to promote careers in education 
among current and future veterans by providing 
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veterans with information on other employment 
transition programs, including— 
‘‘(i) the Veterans’ Employment & 
Training Service and the National Vet-
erans’ Training Institute of the Depart-
ment of Labor; 
‘‘(ii) the transition assistance pro-
grams established under section 1144 of 
this title; 
‘‘(iii) the SkillBridge and Career 
Skills Programs of the Department of De-
fense; 
‘‘(iv) the AmeriCorps program carried 
out under subtitle C of title I of the Na-
tional and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.); and 
‘‘(v) other transitional or educational 
programs; and 
‘‘(E) to promote careers in education by 
helping veterans learn about educational bene-
fits available to them, including Post-9/11 Edu-
cational Assistance, certification programs, and 
applicable on-the-job training and apprentice-
ship programs, to help veterans get into an edu-
cational career field. 
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‘‘(2) COVERED ENTITY DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘covered entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) an entity qualifying as an exempt or-
ganization under section 501(c)(3) of the Inter-
nal Revenue Code of 1986; or 
‘‘(B) a veterans service organization recog-
nized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for 
the representation of veterans under section 
5902 of title 38. 
‘‘(k) PROGRAM INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) INFORMATION FROM THE SECRETARY.— 
The Secretary shall make available, on a publicly ac-
cessible website of the Department of Defense, the 
information described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION
FROM
COVERED
ENTI-
TIES.—Each State, local educational agency, and 
covered entity that enters into a partnership with 
the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall make avail-
able, on a publicly accessible website, the informa-
tion described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The informa-
tion described in this subparagraph is information 
on the Veterans-to-Classrooms program authorized 
under this section, including a description of the ap-
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plication process for the program and the potential 
benefits of participating in the program. 
‘‘(l) BIENNIAL REVIEW.—Not less frequently than 
once every two years, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the Veterans-to-Classrooms Program. At 
minimum, the report shall include a comparison of the 
number of participants in the Program during the period 
covered by the report relative to the number of stipends 
authorized under the Program during such period. 
‘‘(m) PROCESS TO STREAMLINE APPLICATIONS.— 
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of the TEAMS Act, the Secretary shall implement a proc-
ess to simplify the submission of applications under sub-
section (d)(2).’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 58 of such title is amended 
by striking the item relating to section 1154 and inserting 
the following new item: 
‘‘1154. Assistance to eligible members and former members to obtain employ-
ment in schools: Veterans-to-Classrooms Program.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsections (a) and (b) shall take effect on July 1, 2020. 
(d) REFERENCES.—Beginning on July 1, 2020, any 
reference in Federal law (other than this Act), regulations, 
guidance, instructions, or other documents of the Federal 
Government to the Troops-to-Teachers Program shall be 
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deemed to be a reference to the Veterans-to-Classrooms 
Program. 
SEC. 3. VETERANS EMPLOYABLE AS SCHOOL RESOURCE 
OFFICERS. 
Section 1709(4) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10389(4)) is amend-
ed by inserting after ‘‘a career law enforcement officer, 
with sworn authority,’’ the following: ‘‘or a veteran (as 
such term is defined in section 101(2) of title 38, United 
States Code) who is hired by a State or local public agency 
as a law enforcement officer for purposes of serving as 
a school resource officer, who is’’. 
SEC. 4. TASK FORCE ON EDUCATION CAREERS FOR VET-
ERANS. 
(a) TASK FORCE.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall con-
vene a task force to identify strategies that may be used 
to assist veterans in obtaining employment in the field of 
education. 
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The task force convened 
under subsection (a) shall— 
(1) consult regularly with veterans service orga-
nizations in performing the duties of the task force; 
and 
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(2) coordinate administrative and regulatory ac-
tivities and develop proposals to— 
(A) identify State licensing and certifi-
cation requirements that are excessive and un-
necessarily burdensome for veterans seeking to 
transition into careers in education; 
(B) identify potential compensation struc-
tures for educational employment that include 
salary credit for prior military and law enforce-
ment experience; 
(C) recommend incentives to encourage 
educational employers to hire veterans; 
(D) assess the feasibility of establishing 
dedicated military veteran liaison positions in 
school districts; 
(E) examine how funds made available for 
the Veterans-to-Classrooms Program under sec-
tion 1154 of title 10, United States Code, may 
be used to conduct outreach, provide certifi-
cation support, and help States establish out-
reach centers for veterans; and 
(F) explore how partnerships entered by 
the Secretary under subsection (j) of such sec-
tion may be used to promote careers in edu-
cation among veterans through collaboration 
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with relevant employment transition programs, 
including the Transition Assistance Program, 
the SkillBridge and Career Skills Programs of 
the 
Department 
of 
Defense, 
and 
the 
AmeriCorps program. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—The task force shall consist of— 
(1) the Secretary of Defense, or the designee of 
the Secretary, who shall be the head of the task 
force; 
(2) the Secretary of Education, or the designee 
of the Secretary; 
(3) the Attorney General, or the designee of the 
Attorney General; 
(4) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or the 
designee of the Secretary; 
(5) the Secretary of Labor, or the designee of 
the Secretary; 
(6) the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget, or the designee of the Director; 
(7) four representatives from a veterans service 
organization, selected by the President; 
(8) a representative of the Administrative Con-
ference of the United States; and 
(9) representatives of State and local govern-
ments selected by the President, which may include 
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representatives of State boards of education and rel-
evant State licensing agencies. 
(d) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date on which the task force is convened 
under subsection (a), the task force shall submit to 
Congress a report that includes— 
(A) a description of actions that may be 
carried out by State and local governments to 
reduce barriers that interfere with the ability of 
veterans to transition into careers in education; 
and 
(B) recommendations for specific legisla-
tive and regulatory actions that may be carried 
out to reduce such barriers. 
(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The report under 
paragraph (1) shall be made available on a publicly 
accessible website of the Department of Defense. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the term ‘‘vet-
erans service organization’’ means any organization recog-
nized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the rep-
resentation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, 
United States Code. 
Æ 
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