Q: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ''Veterans Treatment Court Improvement
Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. HIRING BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF ADDITIONAL VETERANS
JUSTICE OUTREACH SPECIALISTS.
(a) Hiring of Additional Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall hire
not fewer than 50 Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists and place
each such Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist at an eligible
Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in accordance with
this section.
(2) Requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that each
Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist employed under paragraph (1)--
(A) serves, either exclusively or in addition to other
duties, as part of a justice team in a veterans treatment court
or other veteran-focused court; and
(B) otherwise meets Department hiring guidelines for
Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists.
(b) Eligible Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.--For
purposes of this section, an eligible Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center is any Department of Veterans Affairs medical center
that--
(1) complies with all Department guidelines and regulations for
placement of a Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist;
(2) works within a local criminal justice system with justice-
involved veterans;
(3) maintains an affiliation with one or more veterans
treatment courts or other veteran-focused courts; and
(4) either--
(A) routinely provides Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialists to serve as part of a justice team in a veterans
treatment court or other veteran-focused court; or
(B) establishes a plan that is approved by the Secretary to
provide Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists employed under
subsection (a)(1) to serve as part of a justice team in a
veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused court.
(c) Placement Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize the
placement of Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists employed under
subsection (a)(1) at eligible Department of Veterans Affairs medical
centers that have or intend to establish an affiliation, for the
purpose of carrying out the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, with a
veterans treatment court, or other veteran-focused court, that--
(1) was established on or after the date of the enactment of
this Act; or
(2)(A) was established before the date of the enactment of this
Act; and
(B) is not fully staffed with Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialists.
(d) Reports.--
(1) Report by secretary of veterans affairs.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this
section and its effect on the Veterans Justice Outreach
Program.
(B) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(i) The status of the efforts of the Secretary to hire
Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists pursuant to
subsection (a)(1), including the total number of Veterans
Justice Outreach Specialists hired by the Secretary
pursuant to such subsection and the number that the
Secretary expects to hire pursuant to such subsection.
(ii) The total number of Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialists assigned to each Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center that participates in the Veterans Justice
Outreach Program, including the number of Veterans Justice
Outreach Specialists hired under subsection (a)(1)
disaggregated by Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center.
(iii) The total number of eligible Department of
Veterans Affairs medical centers that sought placement of a
Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist under subsection
(a)(1), how many Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists each
such center sought, and how many of such medical centers
received no placement of a Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialist under subsection (a)(1).
(iv) For each eligible Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center--

(I) the number of justice-involved veterans who
were served or are expected to be served by a Veterans
Justice Outreach Specialist hired under subsection
(a)(1); and
(II) the number of justice-involved veterans who do
not have access to a Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialist.

(2) Report by comptroller general of the united states.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to Congress a report on the
implementation of this section and the effectiveness of the
Veterans Justice Outreach Program.
(B) Contents.--The report required by subparagraph (A)
shall include the following:
(i) An assessment of whether the Secretary has
fulfilled the Secretary's obligations under this section.
(ii) The number of veterans who are served by Veterans
Justice Outreach Specialists hired under subsection (a)(1),
disaggregated by demographics (including discharge status).
(iii) An identification of any subgroups of veterans
who underutilize services provided under laws administered
by the Secretary, including an assessment of whether these
veterans have access to Veterans Justice Outreach
Specialists under the Veterans Justice Outreach Program.
(iv) Such recommendations as the Comptroller General
may have for the Secretary to improve the effectiveness of
the Veterans Justice Outreach Program.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Justice team.--The term ''justice team'' means the group of
individuals, which may include a judge, court coordinator,
prosecutor, public defender, treatment provider, probation or other
law enforcement officer, program mentor, and Veterans Justice
Outreach Specialist, who assist justice-involved veterans in a
veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused court.
(2) Justice-involved veteran.--The term ''justice-involved
veteran'' means a veteran with active, ongoing, or recent contact
with some component of a local criminal justice system.
(3) Local criminal justice system.--The term ''local criminal
justice system'' means law enforcement, jails, prisons, and
Federal, State, and local courts.
(4) Veterans justice outreach program.--The term ''Veterans
Justice Outreach Program'' means the program through which the
Department of Veterans Affairs identifies justice-involved veterans
and provides such veterans with access to Department services.
(5) Veterans justice outreach specialist.--The term ''Veterans
Justice Outreach Specialist'' means an employee of the Department
of Veterans Affairs who serves as a liaison between the Department
and the local criminal justice system on behalf of a justice-
involved veteran.
(6) Veterans treatment court.--The term ''veterans treatment
court'' means a State or local court that is participating in the
veterans treatment court program (as defined in section 2991(i)(1)
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42
U.S.C. 3797aa(i)(1))).

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
A:
Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2018 (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire at least 50 Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists under the Veterans Justice Outreach Program. Each of these specialists must serve as part of a justice team in a veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused court. A specialist hired under this bill must be placed at a VA medical center that: complies with VA guidelines for specialist placement, works within a local criminal justice system with justice-involved veterans, maintains an affiliation with one or more veterans treatment courts or other veteran-focused courts, and provides specialists or establishes a VA-approved plan to provide specialists to serve as part of a justice team. The VA shall prioritize the placement of these specialists at medical centers that have an affiliation with a court that was established after this bill's enactment or is not fully staffed with specialists. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Veterans Justice Outreach Program.