[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2413 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2413
To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish a program of
employment assistance, including employment-related tuition assistance,
for military spouses.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 28, 2001
Mr. Riley (for himself, Mrs. Tauscher, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Kennedy of
Rhode Island, Mr. Frost, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Evans, Mr. Langevin, Mr.
Gibbons, Mr. Simmons, and Mrs. Jones of Ohio) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish a program of
employment assistance, including employment-related tuition assistance,
for military spouses.
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 ``Military Spouse
Employment Assistance Act of 2001''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Military spouse employment financial assistance program.
Sec. 3. Department of Defense employment and training opportunities.
Sec. 4. Encouragement of Federal partnerships in support of military
spouse employment.
Sec. 5. Encouragement of private-sector employment of military spouses.
Sec. 6. Employment of military spouses by defense contractors.
Sec. 7. Effective date.
SEC. 2. MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Authority To Provide Specified Forms of Financial Assistance to
Military Spouses.--(1) Chapter 88 of title 10, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after section 1784 the following new section:
``Sec. 1784a. Spouse employment financial assistance program
``(a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary of Defense may
conduct a program to provide financial assistance to military spouses
to assist them in gaining employment. As part of such a program, the
Secretary may carry out a program of tuition assistance for military
spouses pursuing a program of employment-related education or training.
``(b) Military Spouse Defined.--In this section, the term `military
spouse' means the spouse of a member of the armed forces on active
duty.
``(c) Program Goals.--The Secretary shall prescribe specific goals
for the program under this section. Those goals shall include goals for
improvements in retention for married members of the armed forces on
active duty attributable to improvements in family income of those
members and resulting improvements in the quality of life of those
members and their families.
``(d) Types of Financial Assistance.--Under the program, the
Secretary may provide financial assistance for military spouses for one
or more of the following purposes, as specified in regulations
prescribed under this section:
``(1) Career-related education, in accordance with
subsection (e).
``(2) Certification and license fees for employment-related
purposes.
``(3) Apprenticeships and internships.
``(4) Technical training.
``(5) Training to improve job skills.
``(6) Career counseling.
``(7) Skills assessment.
``(8) Job-search skills.
``(9) Job-related transportation.
``(10) Child care.
``(11) Any additional employment-related purpose specified
in the regulations prescribed under subsection (g).
``(e) Tuition Assistance.--Financial assistance under subsection
(d)(1) for career-related education shall be provided through a tuition
assistance program offering benefits similar to those provided under
the tuition assistance program for members of the armed forces under
section 2007 of this title that will improve education and employment
opportunities for military spouses.
``(f) Coordination With Other Programs.--The Secretary shall ensure
that the provisions of this section are carried out in coordination
with other programs of the Department of Defense (including the
relocation assistance program under section 1056 of this title) under
which employment-related assistance may be provided to spouses of
members of the armed forces.
``(g) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe
regulations for the purposes of the program under this section. In
those regulations, the Secretary shall specify the following:
``(1) Eligibility for financial assistance under the
program , including eligibility for tuition assistance under
subsection (e).
``(2) The types of assistance that may be provided.
``(3) The maximum amount of such assistance that may be
provided for each of the types of assistance specified under
subsection (d).
``(h) Initial Implementation on Pilot Basis.--(1) During the first
three fiscal years during which the program under this section is
carried out, the program shall be conducted on a pilot basis in a
limited number of geographic areas, including bases overseas, for the
purpose of evaluating different program options and program
effectiveness.
``(2) The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the program at
the mid-term point of the pilot program period under paragraph (1) and
at the conclusion of the pilot program period. Each such evaluation
shall assess the success of the program, including the success of the
program in meeting the goals specified for the program. The Secretary
shall submit a report on each such evaluation to the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House
of Representatives.''.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1784 the
following new item:
``1784a. Spouse employment financial assistance program.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for the military spouse employment assistance program
under section 1784a of title 10, United States Code, as added by
subsection (a), a total of $12,000,000 for the first three fiscal years
during which the program is in operation.
(c) Initial Locations.--The Secretary shall specify the specific
locations, including bases overseas, at which the military spouse
employment assistance program under section 1784a of title 10, United
States Code, as added by subsection (a), is to be conducted for the
period under subsection (h) of that section during which the program is
to be conducted on a pilot basis.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
(a) Review of Department of Defense Policies.--The Secretary of
Defense shall review Department of Defense policies that affect
employment opportunities for military spouses in the Department of
Defense in order to maximize those opportunities. The review shall
include the consideration of providing, to the extent authorized by
law, separate spouse preferences for employment by appropriated and
nonappropriated fund operations.
(b) Space-Available Use of Department of Defense Facilities for
Training Purposes.--Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d) Space-Available Use of Facilities for Training Purposes.--The
Secretary of Defense shall take such steps as appropriate to maximize
opportunities for spouses of members of the armed forces to be provided
employment-related training in Department of Defense facilities on a
space-available basis during normal duty hours and during other periods
when those facilities are not being fully utilized.''.
SEC. 4. ENCOURAGEMENT OF FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN SUPPORT OF MILITARY
SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT.
Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by section
3(b), is further amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(e) Employment by Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary of
Defense shall work with the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies to
facilitate the appropriate use of existing Federal programs and
resources in support of military spouse employment.''.
SEC. 5. ENCOURAGEMENT OF PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.
Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by section
4, is further amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(f) Private-Sector Employment.--The Secretary of Defense--
``(1) shall seek to develop partnerships with firms in the
private sector to enhance employment opportunities for spouses
of members of the armed forces and to provide for improved job
portability for such spouses, especially in the case of the
spouse of a member of the armed forces accompanying the member
to a new geographical area because of a change of permanent
duty station of the member; and
``(2) shall work with the United States Chamber of Commerce
and other appropriate private-sector entities to facilitate the
formation of such partnerships.''.
SEC. 6. EMPLOYMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES BY DEFENSE CONTRACTORS.
Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by section
5, is further amended adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(g) Employment With Defense Contractors.--The Secretary of
Defense shall prescribe regulation to ensure, to the extent
practicable, that private-sector entities, in hiring for work to be
performed on a contract with the Department of Defense, provide
preference to qualified spouses of members of the armed forces and
other employment opportunities for such spouses in the same manner as
is provided for positions in the Department of Defense under subsection
(b).''.
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1,
2001.
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