[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 966 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 966

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to reinstate the vocational 
training program of the Department of Veterans Affairs for certain low-
      income veterans in receipt of pension from that Department.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2003

 Mr. Brown of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Smith of 
  New Jersey, and Mr. Evans) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to reinstate the vocational 
training program of the Department of Veterans Affairs for certain low-
      income veterans in receipt of pension from that Department.

    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 ``Disabled Veterans' Return-to-Work 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. REINSTATEMENT OF VETERANS VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 
              CERTAIN PENSION RECIPIENTS.

    (a) Establishment of New Program Period.--Subsection (a)(3) of 
section 1524 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 
``the period beginning on February 1, 1985, and ending on December 31, 
1995'' and inserting ``the five-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of the Disabled Veterans' Return-to-Work Act of 2003''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (b)(4) of such section is 
amended by striking ``December 31, 1995'' and inserting ``the end of 
the program period''.
    (c) Outreach.--Such section is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(f) The Secretary shall ensure that the availability of 
vocational training under this section is made known through a variety 
of means, including the Internet and announcements in Department 
publications and other veterans' publications.''.
    (d) Reports.--Such section is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of 
the Disabled Veterans' Return-to-Work Act of 2003, and each year 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the 
operation of this section. The report shall set forth an evaluation of 
the vocational training provided under this section for the period 
involved, and shall include an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of 
the vocational training provided under this section as well as data on 
the entered-employment rate of veterans pursuing such vocational 
training.''.
    (e) Stylistic Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) by striking ``of Veterans Affairs'' in subsection 
        (a)(1); and
            (2) by striking ``of this section'' in subsections (a)(2), 
        (b)(1), (b)(4) (both places it appears), (c), (d), and (e).
                                 <all>