BRAVE Act

Bill: 116-s-1621
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2019-05-22
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs

Fraud offenses and financial crimes

Public contracts and procurement

Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-22
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act or the BRAVE Act</strong></p> <p> This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in awarding a contract for the procurement of goods or services, to give preference to offerors based on the percentage of the offeror's full-time employees who are veterans.</p> <p>The VA is also authorized to debar from VA contracting for at least five years any offeror determined to have willfully and intentionally misrepresented the veteran status of its employees. Such debarment shall include the debarment of all principals in the offeror for at least five years.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1621 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 22, 2019 Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Tillis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in awarding a contract for the procurement of goods or services, to give a preference to offerors that employ veterans, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act or the BRAVE Act . 2. Preference for offerors employing veterans (a) In general Subchapter II of chapter 81 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 8128 the following new section: 8129. Preference for offerors employing veterans (a) Preference In awarding a contract for the procurement of goods or services, the Secretary may give a preference to offerors that employ veterans on a full-time basis. The Secretary shall determine such preference based on the percentage of the full-time employees of the offeror who are veterans. (b) Enforcement penalties for misrepresentation (1) Any offeror that is determined by the Secretary to have willfully and intentionally misrepresented the veteran status of the employees of the offeror for purposes of subsection (a) may be debarred from contracting with the Department for a period of not less than five years. (2) If the Secretary carries out a debarment under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall commence debarment action against the offeror by not later than 30 days after determining that the offeror willfully and intentionally misrepresented the veteran status of the employees of the offeror as described in paragraph (1) and shall complete debarment actions against such offeror by not later than 90 days after such determination. (3) The debarment of an offeror under paragraph (1) includes the debarment of all principals in the offeror for a period of not less than five years. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 8128 the following new item: 8129. Preference for offerors employing veterans. .