115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 244 
AN ACT 
To encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, em-
ploy, and retain men and women who have served in 
the United States military with annual Federal awards 
to employers recognizing such efforts, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Honoring Investments 
in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans 
Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘HIRE Vets Act’’. 
SEC. 2. HIRE VETS MEDALLION AWARD PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Labor shall establish, by rule, a HIRE Vets Medallion 
Program to solicit voluntary information from employers 
for purposes of recognizing, by means of an award to be 
designated a ‘‘HIRE Vets Medallion Award’’, verified ef-
forts by such employers— 
(1) to recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and 
(2) to provide community and charitable serv-
ices supporting the veteran community. 
(b) APPLICATION PROCESS.—Beginning in the cal-
endar year following the calendar year in which the Sec-
retary establishes the program, the Secretary shall annu-
ally— 
(1) solicit and accept voluntary applications 
from employers in order to consider whether those 
employers should receive a HIRE Vets Medallion 
Award; 
(2) review applications received in each calendar 
year; and 
(3) notify such recipients of their awards; and
(4) at a time to coincide with the annual com-
memoration of Veterans Day— 
(A) announce the names of such recipients; 
(B) recognize such recipients through pub-
lication in the Federal Register; and 
(C) issue to each such recipient— 
(i) a HIRE Vets Medallion Award of 
the level determined under section 3; and 
(ii) a certificate stating that such em-
ployer is entitled to display such HIRE 
Vets Medallion Award. 
(c) TIMING.— 
(1) SOLICITATION
PERIOD.—The Secretary 
shall solicit applications not later than January 31st 
of each calendar year for the Awards to be awarded 
in November of that calendar year. 
(2) END OF ACCEPTANCE PERIOD.—The Sec-
retary shall stop accepting applications not earlier 
than April 30th of each calendar year for the 
Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar 
year. 
(3) REVIEW PERIOD.—The Secretary shall fin-
ish reviewing applications not later than August 31st 
of each calendar year for the Awards to be awarded 
in November of that calendar year.
(4) SELECTION
OF
RECIPIENTS.—The Sec-
retary shall select the employers to receive HIRE 
Vets Medallion Awards not later than September 
30th of each calendar year for the Awards to be 
awarded in November of that calendar year. 
(5) NOTICE
TO
RECIPIENTS.—The Secretary 
shall notify employers who will receive HIRE Vets 
Medallion Awards not later than October 11th of 
each calendar year for the Awards to be awarded in 
November of that calendar year. 
(d) LIMITATION.—An employer who receives a HIRE 
Vets Medallion Award for one calendar year is not eligible 
to receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award for the subse-
quent calendar year. 
SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS. 
(a) APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall review 
all applications received in a calendar year to deter-
mine whether an employer should receive a HIRE 
Vets Medallion Award, and, if so, of what level. 
(2) APPLICATION
CONTENTS.—The Secretary 
shall require that all applications provide informa-
tion on the programs and other efforts of applicant 
employers during the calendar year prior to that in 
which the medallion is to be awarded, including the
categories and activities governing the level of award 
for which the applicant is eligible under subsection 
(b). 
(3) VERIFICATION.—The Secretary shall verify 
all information provided in the applications, to the 
extent that such information is relevant in deter-
mining whether or not an employer should receive a 
HIRE Vets Medallion Award or in determining the 
appropriate level of HIRE Vets Medallion Award for 
that employer to receive, including by requiring the 
chief executive officer or the chief human relations 
officer of the employer to attest under penalty of 
perjury that the employer has met the criteria de-
scribed in subsection (b) for a particular level of 
Award. 
(b) AWARDS.— 
(1) LARGE EMPLOYERS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish 2 levels of HIRE Vets Medallion Awards 
to be awarded to employers employing 500 or 
more employees, to be designated the ‘‘Gold 
HIRE Vets Medallion Award’’ and the ‘‘Plat-
inum HIRE Vets Medallion Award’’. 
(B) 
GOLD
HIRE
VETS
MEDALLION 
AWARD.—No employer shall be eligible to re-
ceive a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award in a 
given calendar year unless— 
(i) veterans constitute not less than 7 
percent of all employees hired by such em-
ployer during the prior calendar year; 
(ii) such employer has retained not 
less than 75 percent of the veteran employ-
ees hired during the calendar year pre-
ceding the preceding calendar year for a 
period of at least 12 months from the date 
on which the employees were hired; 
(iii) such employer has established an 
employee veteran organization or resource 
group to assist new veteran employees with 
integration, including coaching and men-
toring; and 
(iv) such employer has established 
programs to enhance the leadership skills 
of veteran employees during their employ-
ment. 
(C) PLATINUM
HIRE
VETS
MEDALLION 
AWARD.—No employer shall be eligible to re-
ceive a Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion Award 
in a given calendar year unless—
(i) the employer meets all the require-
ments for eligibility for a Gold HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award under subparagraph (B); 
(ii) veterans constitute not less than 
10 percent of all employees hired by such 
employer during the prior calendar year; 
(iii) such employer has retained not 
less than 85 percent of the veteran employ-
ees hired during the calendar year pre-
ceding the preceding calendar year for a 
period of at least 12 months from the date 
on which the employees were hired; 
(iv) such employer employs dedicated 
human resources professionals to support 
hiring and retention of veteran employees, 
including efforts focused on veteran hiring 
and training; 
(v) such employer provides each of its 
employees serving on active duty in the 
United States National Guard or Reserve 
with compensation sufficient, in combina-
tion with the employee’s active duty pay, to 
achieve a combined level of income com-
mensurate with the employee’s salary prior 
to undertaking active duty; and
(vi) such employer has a tuition as-
sistance program to support veteran em-
ployees’ attendance in postsecondary edu-
cation during the term of their employ-
ment. 
(D) EXEMPTION FOR SMALLER EMPLOY-
ERS.—An employer shall be deemed to meet the 
requirements of subparagraph (C)(iv) if such 
employer— 
(i) employs 5,000 or fewer employees; 
and 
(ii) employs at least one human re-
sources professional whose regular work 
duties include those described under sub-
paragraph (C)(iv). 
(E) ADDITIONAL
CRITERIA.—The Sec-
retary may provide, by rule, additional criteria 
with which to determine qualifications for re-
ceipt of each level of HIRE Vets Medallion 
Award. 
(2) SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED EMPLOYERS.— 
The Secretary shall establish similar awards in order 
to recognize achievements in supporting veterans 
by—
(A) employers with 50 or fewer employees; 
and 
(B) employers with more than 50 but 
fewer than 500 employees. 
(c) DESIGN BY SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish the shape, form, and design of each HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award, except that the Award shall be in the 
form of a certificate and shall state the year for which 
it was awarded. 
SEC. 4. DISPLAY OF AWARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The recipient of a HIRE Vets Me-
dallion Award may— 
(1) publicly display such Award through the 
end of the calendar year following receipt of such 
Award; and 
(2) publicly display the HIRE Vets Medallion 
Award Certificate issued in conjunction with such 
Award. 
(b) UNLAWFUL DISPLAY PROHIBITED.—It is unlaw-
ful for any employer to publicly display a HIRE Vets Me-
dallion Award, in connection with, or as a part of, any 
advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product— 
(1) for the purpose of conveying, or in a man-
ner reasonably calculated to convey, a false impres-
sion that the employer received the Award through
propriation, to the Secretary to carry out the HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award Program. 
SEC. 6. INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION. 
The HIRE Vets Medallion Program shall begin to so-
licit applications on January 31 of the year that is 2 fiscal 
years after the fiscal year during which funds are first 
appropriated to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 7. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
(a) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress annual reports on— 
(1) the fees collected from applicants for HIRE 
Vets Medallion Awards in the prior year and any 
changes in fees to be proposed in the present year; 
(2) the cost of administering the HIRE Vets 
Medallion Award Program in the prior year; 
(3) the number of applications for HIRE Vets 
Medallion Awards received in the prior year; and 
(4) the HIRE Vets Medallion Awards awarded 
in the prior year, including the name of each em-
ployer to whom a HIRE Vets Medallion Award was 
awarded and the level of medallion awarded to each 
such employer.
(b) COMMITTEES.—The Secretary shall provide the 
reports required under subsection (a) to the Chairman and 
Ranking Member of— 
(1) the Committees on Education and the 
Workforce and Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(2) the Committees on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions and Veterans’ Affairs of the 
Senate. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(a) The term ‘‘employer’’ means any person, institu-
tion, organization, or other entity that pays salary or 
wages for work performed or that has control over em-
ployee opportunities, except that such term does not in-
clude— 
(1) the Federal Government; or 
(2) any State government, as defined in such 
section. 
(b) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of 
Labor.
(c) The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given such 
term under section 101 of title 38, United States Code. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 13, 
2017. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 244 
AN ACT 
To encourage effective, voluntary investments to re-
cruit, employ, and retain men and women who 
have served in the United States military with 
annual Federal awards to employers recognizing 
such efforts, and for other purposes.