Title: Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2017
This bill amends the Uniformed Services Employment Rights Act of 1994 to: (1) consider procedural protections or provisions under such Act concerning employment and reemployment rights of members of the uniformed services to be a right or benefit subject to the protection of such Act, and (2) make any agreement to arbitrate a claim under such provisions unenforceable unless all parties consent to arbitration after a complaint on the specific claim has been filed in court or with the Merit Systems Protection Board and all parties knowingly and voluntarily consent to have that particular claim subjected to arbitration.
Consent shall not be considered voluntary when a person is required to agree to arbitrate an action, complaint, or claim alleging a violation of such provisions as a condition of future or continued employment, advancement in employment, or receipt of any right or benefit of employment.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2631 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2631

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the scope of 
procedural rights of members of the uniformed services with respect to 
   their employment and reemployment rights, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2017

 Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Mr. Jones, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, 
 Mr. Cartwright, Mrs. Walorski, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Walz, Mr. 
  Gallego, and Mr. Conyers) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the scope of 
procedural rights of members of the uniformed services with respect to 
   their employment and reemployment rights, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for Servicemembers Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. CLARIFICATIONS REGARDING SCOPE OF EMPLOYMENT AND REEMPLOYMENT 
              RIGHTS OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES.

    (a) Clarification Regarding Definition of Rights and Benefits.--
Section 4303(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``The term''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(B) Any procedural protections or provisions set forth in 
        this chapter shall also be considered a right or benefit 
        subject to the protection of this chapter.''.
    (b) Clarification Regarding Relation to Other Law and Plans for 
Agreements.--Section 4302 of such title is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(c)(1) Pursuant to this section and the procedural rights 
afforded by subchapter III of this chapter, any agreement to arbitrate 
a claim under this chapter is unenforceable, unless all parties consent 
to arbitration after a complaint on the specific claim has been filed 
in court or with the Merit Systems Protection Board and all parties 
knowingly and voluntarily consent to have that particular claim 
subjected to arbitration.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, consent shall not be 
considered voluntary when a person is required to agree to arbitrate an 
action, complaint, or claim alleging a violation of this chapter as a 
condition of future or continued employment, advancement in employment, 
or receipt of any right or benefit of employment.''.
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