Hiring Heroes Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-1941
Sponsor: Rep. Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [D-GA-2]
Introduced: 2011-05-23 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Employment and training programs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Licensing and registrations
Unemployment
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: 
Hiring Heroes Act of 2011- Amends the Wounded Warriors Act to extend until January 1, 2015, the authority of the Secretary 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.
 
Expands the authority of the VA Secretary to make payments to employers to provide on-job training to veterans to include veterans who have not been rehabilitated to the point of employability. 
 
Entitles certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who have exhausted their rights to unemployment benefits to participation in an additional VA rehabilitation program. Limits the duration of such a program to 24 months. Makes the 12-year period of eligibility for a VA rehabilitation program inapplicable under such an additional program.
 
Instructs the VA Secretary to follow-up on the employment status of veterans who participate in a VA rehabilitation program. 
 
Requires (current law encourages) participation by eligible members in the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP) of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires (under current law, authorizes) the provision of preseparation counseling to members whose discharge or release is anticipated.
 
Instructs the Secretary of Labor to follow-up on the employment status of members who complete their participation in the TAP. 
 
Directs the VA Secretary to award grants to up to three nonprofit organizations under a collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program for eligible veterans seeking employment.
 
 Requires participants in the TAP to receive individualized assessments of civilian positions for which they may be qualified based on a joint DOD, VA, and Department of Labor study of the equivalencies between military skills and civilian employment requirements.
 
Authorizes the appointment of an honorably discharged member of the uniformed services to a position in the civil service, without regard to specified civil service examination, certification, and appointment provisions, if otherwise qualified. 
 
Requires executive agencies to establish programs to provide employment assistance to members who are being separated from active duty. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out an outreach program to provide employment assistance to certain veterans who have been receiving assistance under the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers program. 
 
Authorizes a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing work experience to certain members of the Armed Forces who are on terminal leave. 
 
Requires (under current law, authorizes) a VA demonstration project on the credentialing and licensing of veterans. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-15
text: Committee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2011-06-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
action_date: 2011-06-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
action_date: 2011-06-20
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2011-06-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy     .
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-05-23
text: Introduced in House