Title: Better Jobs for Veterans Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Better Jobs for Veterans Act of 2017
This bill amends provisions with respect to the hiring of veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and their spouses.
The bill extends the veterans retraining assistance program, which provides job training assistance to unemployed veterans between the ages of 35-60.
The Department of Defense must establish a database to record training performed by members of the Armed Forces and make such information available to states and other employers to satisfy civilian licensing or certification requirements.
The bill extends the work opportunity tax credit to the hiring of members of the Ready Reserve or the National Guard or the hiring of the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces. (The work opportunity tax credit permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.)

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4380 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4380

 To make certain improvements relating to the hiring and employment of 
members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2017

  Mr. Kind (for himself and Mr. Jones) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition 
   to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, 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 make certain improvements relating to the hiring and employment of 
members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses, 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 ``Better Jobs for Veterans Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS RETRAINING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Permanent Program.--Section 211 of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act 
of 2011 (Public Law 112-56; 38 U.S.C. 4100 note) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking ``the period 
        beginning October 1, 2012, and ending March 31, 2014'' and 
        inserting ``each subsequent fiscal year that the program is 
        carried out''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (k).
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``Not later than July 
        1, 2012, the'' and inserting ``The'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``Except as provided by 
        subsection (k), each'' and inserting ``Each'';
            (3) in subsection (e)(1)(G), by striking ``by not later 
        than October 1, 2013,'';
            (4) by striking subsection (i); and
            (5) by redesignating subsections (j) and (l) as subsections 
        (i) and (j), respectively.

SEC. 3. IMPROVED EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
              AND VETERANS.

    (a) Improved Employment Skills Verification.--Section 1143(a) of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary of 
        Defense''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) In order to improve the accuracy and completeness of a 
certification or verification of job skills and experience required by 
paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a 
service in the Navy shall--
            ``(A) establish a database to record all training performed 
        by members of the armed forces that may have application to 
        employment in the civilian sector; and
            ``(B) make unclassified information regarding such 
        information available to States and other potential employers 
        referred to in subsection (c) so that State and other entities 
        may allow military training to satisfy licensing or 
        certification requirements to engage in a civilian 
        profession.''.
    (b) Improved Accuracy of Certificates of Training and Skills.--
Section 1143(a) of title 10, United States Code, is further amended by 
inserting after paragraph (2), as added by subsection (a), the 
following new paragraph:
    ``(3) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a 
service in the Navy shall ensure that a certification or verification 
of job skills and experience required by paragraph (1) is rendered in 
such a way that States and other potential employers can confirm the 
accuracy and authenticity of the certification or verification.''.
    (c) Improved Responsiveness to Certification Requests.--Section 
1143(c) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``For the purpose''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) A State may use a certification or verification of job skills 
and experience provided to a member of the armed forces under 
subsection (a) and request the Department of Defense or the Coast 
Guard, as the case may be, to confirm the accuracy and authenticity of 
the certification or verification. A response confirming or denying the 
information shall be provided within five business days.''.
    (d) Improved Portability of Certificates of Training and Skills.--
Section 1143 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Portability.--A certification or verification of job skills 
and experience provided to a member of the armed forces under 
subsection (a) and accepted by a State to satisfy licensing or 
certification requirements to engage in a civilian profession shall be 
valid in all States once used in the accepting States.''.
    (e) Improved Notice to Members.--Section 1142(b)(4)(A) of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting before the semicolon the 
following: ``, including State-submitted and approved lists of military 
training and skills that satisfy occupational certifications and 
licenses''.

SEC. 4. WORK OPPORTUNITY CREDIT TO SMALL BUSINESSES FOR HIRING MEMBERS 
              OF READY RESERVE OR NATIONAL GUARD.

    (a) In General.--Section 51(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (I), by 
striking the period at the end of subparagraph (J) and inserting ``, 
or'', and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(K) in the case of an eligible employer (as 
                defined in section 408(p)(2)(C)(i)), an individual who 
                is a member of--
                            ``(i) the Ready Reserve (as described in 
                        section 10142 of title 10, United States Code), 
                        or
                            ``(ii) the National Guard (as defined in 
                        section 101(c)(1) of such title 10).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendment made by this section shall 
        apply to wages paid or incurred after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act in taxable years ending after such date.
            (2) Current employees covered by credit.--For purposes of 
        applying section 51 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
        individuals described in section 51(d)(1)(K) of such Code, as 
        added by this section, who are employed by an eligible employer 
        (as defined in section 408(p)(2)(C)(i) of such Code) on the 
        date of the enactment of this Act shall be treated as beginning 
        work for such employer on such date.

SEC. 5. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF WORK OPPORTUNITY CREDIT FOR EMPLOYERS 
              HIRING QUALIFIED VETERANS AND MEMBERS OF READY RESERVE 
              AND NATIONAL GUARD.

    (a) In General.--Section 51(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by inserting ``(other than any individual described in 
subparagraph (B) or (K) of subsection (d)(1))'' after ``individual''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2016.

SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY OF SPOUSES OF MILITARY PERSONNEL FOR THE WORK 
              OPPORTUNITY CREDIT.

    (a) In General.--Section 51(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986, as amended by this Act, is amended by striking ``or'' at the end 
of subparagraph (J), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph 
(K) and inserting ``, or'', and by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
                    ``(L) a qualified military spouse.''.
    (b) Qualified Military Spouse.--Section 51(d) of such Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(16) Qualified military spouse.--The term `qualified 
        military spouse' means any individual who is certified by the 
        designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a 
        spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to amounts paid or incurred after the date of the enactment of 
this Act to individuals who begin work for the employer after such 
date.
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