Title: Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2017
This bill amends the: (1) VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 to extend through 2020 the veterans retraining assistance program, and (2) Wounded Warrior Act to extend through 2020 the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide the same rehabilitation and vocational benefits to members of the Armed Forces with severe injuries or illnesses as are provided to veterans.
The bill extends through: (1) March 31, 2020, additional VA rehabilitation programs for certain disabled veterans who have completed a VA rehabilitation program and have exhausted their rights to state unemployment benefits; and (2) FY2021 the collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program.
The VA shall develop a single, unified federal web-based employment portal for veterans to access information on federal programs and activities concerning veterans employment, unemployment, and training.
The bill directs the: (1) Department of Homeland Security to award grants to hire veterans as firefighters, and (2) Department of Justice to award grants to hire veterans as law enforcement officers.
The head of each executive and defense agency shall consider favorably, as an evaluation factor in federal solicitations for civilian or defense contracts and task or delivery orders valued at or above $25 million, the employment by a prospective contractor of veterans constituting at least 5% of the contractor's workforce.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 856 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 856

     To reauthorize the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, to provide 
    assistance to small businesses owned by veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2017

    Mr. Cohen (for himself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. DelBene, Mr. 
  Cartwright, Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
   Welch, and Mr. McGovern) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the 
  Committees on Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, the 
   Judiciary, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To reauthorize the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, to provide 
    assistance to small businesses owned by veterans, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Putting Our 
Veterans Back to Work Act of 2017''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
                TITLE I--RENEWING OUR VOW TO HIRE HEROES

Sec. 101. Reauthorization of veterans retraining assistance program.
Sec. 102. Extension of authority of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
                            provide rehabilitation and vocational 
                            benefits to members of Armed Forces with 
                            severe injuries or illnesses.
Sec. 103. Extension of additional rehabilitation programs for persons 
                            who have exhausted rights to unemployment 
                            benefits under State law.
Sec. 104. Reauthorization of collaborative veterans' training, 
                            mentoring, and placement program.
              TITLE II--BUILDING ON OUR VOW TO HIRE HEROES

Sec. 201. Unified employment portal for veterans.
Sec. 202. Grants to hire veterans as first responders.
Sec. 203. Employment of veterans as evaluation factor in the awarding 
                            of Federal contracts.

                TITLE I--RENEWING OUR VOW TO HIRE HEROES

SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION OF VETERANS RETRAINING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Extension.--Subsection (k) of section 211 of the VOW to Hire 
Heroes Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-56; 38 U.S.C. 4100 note) is amended 
by striking ``March 31, 2014'' and inserting ``December 31, 2020''.
    (b) Number of Eligible Veterans.--Subsection (a)(2) of such section 
is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
                    ``(C) 50,000 during fiscal year 2017;
                    ``(D) 50,000 during fiscal year 2018;
                    ``(E) 50,000 during fiscal year 2019; and
                    ``(F) 50,000 during the period beginning October 1, 
                2019, and ending December 31, 2020.''.
    (c) Clarification of Limitation on Aggregate Amount of 
Assistance.--Subsection (b) of such section is amended by striking ``up 
to 12 months of retraining assistance provided by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs'' and inserting ``an aggregate of not more than 12 
months of retraining assistance provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs under this section''.
    (d) Updated Report.--Subsection (i) of such section is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Update.--Not later than December 31, 2021, the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the 
        Secretary of Labor, shall submit to the appropriate committees 
        of Congress an update to the report described in paragraph 
        (1).''.
    (e) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (e)(1)(G) of such section is 
amended by striking ``by not later than October 1, 2013,''.

SEC. 102. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO 
              PROVIDE REHABILITATION AND VOCATIONAL BENEFITS TO MEMBERS 
              OF ARMED FORCES WITH SEVERE INJURIES OR ILLNESSES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1631(b)(2) of the Wounded Warrior Act 
(title XVI of Public Law 110-181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended by 
striking ``December 31, 2017'' and inserting ``December 31, 2020''.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
        on the benefits provided by the Secretary under section 1631(b) 
        of such Act.
            (2) Appropriate committees of congress.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
                Representatives.

SEC. 103. EXTENSION OF ADDITIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS FOR PERSONS 
              WHO HAVE EXHAUSTED RIGHTS TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS UNDER 
              STATE LAW.

    Section 3102(b)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``March 31, 2014'' and inserting ``March 31, 2020''.

SEC. 104. REAUTHORIZATION OF COLLABORATIVE VETERANS' TRAINING, 
              MENTORING, AND PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

    Subsection (e) of section 4104A of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section amounts as follows:
            ``(1) $4,500,000 for the period consisting of fiscal years 
        2018 and 2019.
            ``(2) $4,500,000 for the period consisting of fiscal years 
        2020 and 2021.''.

              TITLE II--BUILDING ON OUR VOW TO HIRE HEROES

SEC. 201. UNIFIED EMPLOYMENT PORTAL FOR VETERANS.

    Section 4105 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(c)(1) The Secretary shall develop a single, unified Federal web-
based employment portal, for use by veterans, containing information 
regarding all Federal programs and activities concerning employment, 
unemployment, and training to the extent the programs and activities 
affect veterans.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall work with representatives from the 
Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small 
Business Administration, and other Federal agencies and organizations 
concerned with veterans' issues, to determine an appropriate platform 
and implementing agency for the portal. The Secretary shall enter into 
an agreement with the other Federal agencies for the implementation of 
the portal.''.

SEC. 202. GRANTS TO HIRE VETERANS AS FIRST RESPONDERS.

    (a) Grants for Firefighters.--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.
    (b) Grants for Law Enforcement Officers.--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 enforcement officers.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section to hire 
veterans, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General 
shall give priority to the hiring of veterans who served on active duty 
in the Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $250,000,000.

SEC. 203. EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS AS EVALUATION FACTOR IN THE AWARDING 
              OF FEDERAL CONTRACTS.

    (a) Civilian Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 33 of title 41, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 3313. Employment of veterans as evaluation factor
    ``The head of each executive agency shall consider favorably as an 
evaluation factor in solicitations for contracts and task or delivery 
order valued at or above $25,000,000 the employment by a prospective 
contractor of veterans constituting at least 5 percent of the 
contractor's workforce.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the item 
        relating to section 3312 the following new item:

``3313. Employment of veterans as evaluation factor.''.
    (b) Defense Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 137 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 2338. Employment of veterans as evaluation factor
    ``The head of each agency shall consider favorably as an evaluation 
factor in solicitations for contracts and task or delivery order valued 
at or above $25,000,000 the employment by a prospective contractor of 
veterans constituting at least five percent of the contractor's 
workforce.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the item 
        relating to section 2337 the following new item:

``2338. Employment of veterans as evaluation factor.''.
    (c) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall 
amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to carry out the provisions of 
section 3313 of title 41, United States Code, and section 2338 of title 
10, United States Code, as added by subsections (a) and (b), 
respectively.
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