[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3467 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3467

  To expand and extend counseling and referral programs that minimize 
     recidivism by reintegrating at-risk veterans into meaningful 
                              employment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 4, 2007

 Mr. Yarmuth introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To expand and extend counseling and referral programs that minimize 
     recidivism by reintegrating at-risk veterans into meaningful 
                              employment.

    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 ``Second Chance for America's Veterans 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) States average a 60 percent rate of recidivism among 
        veterans.
            (2) As a demonstration program in seven States, the 
        Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program (IV-TP) has cut 
        recidivism among its veterans by 90 percent.
            (3) Of the veterans engaged in the national IV-TP program, 
        90 percent were moved into permanent housing and 72 percent 
        became gainfully employed.
            (4) IV-TP saves taxpayers millions of dollars a year in 
        incarceration costs and stimulates local job growth and 
        economic development. In Kentucky's IV-TP, for example, studies 
        show that up to 166 individuals from the program would have re-
        offended and returned to a correctional institution at a 
        financial cost of $1.6 million per year. The aggregate annual 
        wages of the veterans assisted by the Kentucky IV-TP program is 
        more than $2.1 million.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM FOR REFERRAL AND COUNSELING 
              SERVICES TO ASSIST AT-RISK VETERANS TRANSITIONING INTO 
              THE WORKPLACE.

    (a) Program Authority.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
(hereinafter in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall 
establish a workforce reentry program for eligible veterans consisting 
of job referral, counseling, and other services deemed necessary by the 
Secretary to minimize recidivism and improve job placement.
    (b) Location of Program.--The program shall be carried out in at 
least twenty-four locations equitably distributed within the United 
States. One location shall be a penal institution under the 
jurisdiction of the Bureau of Prisons.
    (c) Scope of Program.--
            (1) To the extent practicable, the program shall provide 
        both referral and counseling services, including assistance 
        with job training and placement (including job readiness), 
        housing, health care, and other benefits to assist eligible 
        veterans in the transition from institutional living.
            (2)(A) To the extent that referral or counseling services 
        are provided at a location under the program, the Secretary 
        must ensure that referral services are administered in person 
        preceding the date of release or discharge from incarceration. 
        Counseling services must begin after an eligible veteran is 
        discharged from incarceration. The Secretary may determine an 
        acceptable period of time to begin referral and counseling 
        services.
            (B) The Secretary may, as part of the program, furnish to 
        officials of penal institutions outreach information with 
        respect to referral and counseling services for presentation to 
        veterans in the custody of such officials during the 18-month 
        period that precedes such date of release or discharge.
            (3) Eligible entities.--The Secretary may distribute funds 
        to eligible entities to carry out the referral and counseling 
        services required under the program. Eligible entities may 
        include: Relevant State agencies, non-profit organizations, or 
        State and local workforce investment boards as defined in 
        sections 111 and 117 of the Workforce Investment Act. Eligible 
        entities must have demonstrated competence in managing grants 
        and the capability to provide referrals to other service 
        providers.
            (4) In developing the program, the Secretary shall consult 
        with officials of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, officials of 
        penal institutions of States and political subdivisions of 
        States, and such other officials as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (d) Duration.--The Secretary shall have authority to make grants 
for fiscal years 2008 to 2011.
    (e) Evaluation.--Each program shall provide a report to the 
Secretary containing all relevant program data including percentage of 
veterans moved into permanent housing, percentage of veterans gainfully 
employed, and rates of recidivism among participants. Grantees must 
submit an evaluation exactly three years after grants are awarded.
    (f) Definition.--In this section, the term ``eligible veteran'' 
means a veteran who--
            (1) is a resident of a penal institution or an institution 
        that provides long-term care for mental illness; and
            (2) is at risk for homelessness absent referral and 
        counseling services provided under the program (as determined 
        under guidelines established by the Secretary).
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011 to 
carry out this program.
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