Sec. 3. Department of Defense employment and training opportunities.
Sec. 4. Encouragement of Federal partnerships in support of military spouse
employment.
Sec. 5. Encouragement of private-sector employment of military spouses.
Sec. 6. Employment of military spouses by defense contractors.
Sec. 7. Effective date.
SEC. 2. MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT FINANCIAL AS-
SISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE SPECIFIED FORMS OF
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
TO MILITARY SPOUSES.—(1)
Chapter 88 of title 10, United States Code, is amended
by inserting after section 1784 the following new section:
‘‘§ 1784a. Spouse employment financial assistance
program
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary
of Defense may conduct a program to provide financial
assistance to military spouses to assist them in gaining
employment. As part of such a program, the Secretary
may carry out a program of tuition assistance for military
spouses pursuing a program of employment-related edu-
cation or training.
‘‘(b) MILITARY SPOUSE DEFINED.—In this section,
the term ‘military spouse’ means the spouse of a member
of the armed forces on active duty.
‘‘(c) PROGRAM GOALS.—The Secretary shall pre-
scribe specific goals for the program under this section.
Those goals shall include goals for improvements in reten-
tion for married members of the armed forces on active
duty attributable to improvements in family income of
those members and resulting improvements in the quality
of life of those members and their families.
‘‘(d) TYPES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Under the
program, the Secretary may provide financial assistance
for military spouses for one or more of the following pur-
poses, as specified in regulations prescribed under this sec-
tion:
‘‘(1) Career-related education, in accordance
with subsection (e).
‘‘(2) Certification and license fees for employ-
ment-related purposes.
‘‘(3) Apprenticeships and internships.
‘‘(4) Technical training.
‘‘(5) Training to improve job skills.
‘‘(6) Career counseling.
‘‘(7) Skills assessment.
‘‘(8) Job-search skills.
‘‘(9) Job-related transportation.
‘‘(10) Child care.
‘‘(11) Any additional employment-related pur-
pose specified in the regulations prescribed under
subsection (g).
‘‘(e) TUITION
ASSISTANCE.—Financial assistance
under subsection (d)(1) for career-related education shall
be provided through a tuition assistance program offering
benefits similar to those provided under the tuition assist-
ance program for members of the armed forces under sec-
tion 2007 of this title that will improve education and em-
ployment opportunities for military spouses.
‘‘(f) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The
Secretary shall ensure that the provisions of this section
are carried out in coordination with other programs of the
Department of Defense (including the relocation assist-
ance program under section 1056 of this title) under
which employment-related assistance may be provided to
spouses of members of the armed forces.
‘‘(g) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense shall
prescribe regulations for the purposes of the program
under this section. In those regulations, the Secretary
shall specify the following:
‘‘(1) Eligibility for financial assistance under
the program , including eligibility for tuition assist-
ance under subsection (e).
‘‘(2) The types of assistance that may be pro-
vided.
‘‘(3) The maximum amount of such assistance
that may be provided for each of the types of assist-
ance specified under subsection (d).
‘‘(h) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION ON PILOT BASIS.—
(1) During the first three fiscal years during which the
program under this section is carried out, the program
shall be conducted on a pilot basis in a limited number
of geographic areas, including bases overseas, for the pur-
pose of evaluating different program options and program
effectiveness.
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the
program at the mid-term point of the pilot program period
under paragraph (1) and at the conclusion of the pilot
program period. Each such evaluation shall assess the suc-
cess of the program, including the success of the program
in meeting the goals specified for the program. The Sec-
retary shall submit a report on each such evaluation to
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Represent-
atives.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such
chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating
to section 1784 the following new item:
‘‘1784a. Spouse employment financial assistance program.’’.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated for the military spouse em-
ployment assistance program under section 1784a of title
10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), a total
of $12,000,000 for the first three fiscal years during
which the program is in operation.
(c) INITIAL LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall specify
the specific locations, including bases overseas, at which
the military spouse employment assistance program under
section 1784a of title 10, United States Code, as added
by subsection (a), is to be conducted for the period under
subsection (h) of that section during which the program
is to be conducted on a pilot basis.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYMENT AND
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
(a) REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE POLI-
CIES.—The Secretary of Defense shall review Department
of Defense policies that affect employment opportunities
for military spouses in the Department of Defense in order
to maximize those opportunities. The review shall include
the consideration of providing, to the extent authorized by
law, separate spouse preferences for employment by ap-
propriated and nonappropriated fund operations.
(b) SPACE-AVAILABLE USE OF DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE FACILITIES FOR TRAINING PURPOSES.—Section
1784 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(d) SPACE-AVAILABLE USE
OF FACILITIES
FOR
TRAINING PURPOSES.—The Secretary of Defense shall
take such steps as appropriate to maximize opportunities
for spouses of members of the armed forces to be provided
employment-related training in Department of Defense fa-
cilities on a space-available basis during normal duty
hours and during other periods when those facilities are
not being fully utilized.’’.
SEC. 4. ENCOURAGEMENT OF FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN
SUPPORT OF MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOY-
MENT.
Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, as
amended by section 3(b), is further amended by adding
at the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(e) EMPLOYMENT
BY OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.—The Secretary of Defense shall work with the Di-
rector of the Office of Personnel Management and the
heads of other Federal departments and agencies to facili-
tate the appropriate use of existing Federal programs and
resources in support of military spouse employment.’’.
SEC. 5. ENCOURAGEMENT OF PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOY-
MENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.
Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, as
amended by section 4, is further amended by adding at
the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(f) PRIVATE-SECTOR
EMPLOYMENT.—The Sec-
retary of Defense—