1.This Act may be cited as the
Post 9-11 GI Jobs Act of
2011
.
2.The Congress finds the following:
(1)Veterans make
heroic sacrifices to protect our country.
(2)The people of the United States greatly
value military service and recognize the difficult challenges involved in
adjusting to civilian life after wartime service in the Armed Forces.
(3)Veterans from
recent wars are disproportionately unemployed and underemployed.
(4)Veterans age 18 to 24, who have served in
the Armed Forces since September 11, 2001, had an unemployment rate of 20.9
percent in 2010.
3.Increase in work
opportunity tax credit for hiring veterans
(a)Subsection (d) of
section 51 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end
the following new paragraph:
(15)Credit allowed
for post 9-11 veterans in 2011 through 2014
(A)Any post 9-11 veteran
who begins work for the employer after the date of the enactment of this
paragraph shall be treated as a member of a targeted group for purposes of this
subpart.
(B)Increase in
wages taken into accountFor
purposes of this paragraph, in the case of a post 9-11 veteran, subsection
(b)(3) shall be applied by substituting $8,000
for
$6,000
.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the term post 9-11
veteran means any veteran (as defined in paragraph (3)(B), determined
without regard to clause (ii) thereof) who is certified by the designated local
agency as having been discharged or released from active duty in the Armed
Forces at any time after September 11, 2001.
(D)For purposes of this paragraph, subsection
(c)(4)(B) shall be applied by substituting December 31, 2014
for
December 31,
2011
.
.
(b)Increase in
credit for other veteransParagraph (3) of section 51(b) of such Code
is amended to read as follows:
(3)Limitation on
wages per year taken into accountThe amount of the qualified first-year
wages which may be taken into account with respect to any individual shall not
exceed—
(A)except as provided
in subparagraph (B) or (C), $6,000 per year,
(B)in the case of any
individual who is a qualified veteran by reason of subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii),
$14,000 per year for taxable years ending before January 1, 2015, and $12,000
per year thereafter, and
(C)in the case of any individual who is a
qualified veteran other than by reason of subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii) or being
described in subsection (d)(15), $7,500 per year for taxable years ending
before January 1,
2015.
.
(c)Study regarding
unemployment compensation of veteransThe Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
conduct a study that examines the receipt of unemployment compensation by
unemployed Post 9-11 veterans and examines any impediment that may prevent
access to Post 9-11 veterans seeking unemployment compensation. Not later than
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit the results of the study to Congress and shall include with such
submission recommendations (if any) for expanding unemployment compensation to
veterans.
(d)The amendments made by
this section shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
4.Deduction for
increased job training for post 9-11 veterans
(a)Part VI of subchapter B of chapter I of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
200.Increased job
training for post 9-11 veterans
(a)There shall be allowed as a deduction the qualified job
training expenses.
(b)The amount taken into account as qualified
job training expenses under subsection (a) for an employee for a taxable year
shall not exceed $1,000.
(c)For
purposes of this section—
(1)Qualified job
training expensesThe term
qualified job training expenses means amounts paid or incurred by
an employer for a taxable year to provide training to post 9-11 veterans in the
area of green jobs or sustainable manufacturing. Training provided under the
preceding sentence shall ensure that post 9-11 veterans have the same level of
training and seniority as their non-veteran peers.
(2)The term post 9-11 veteran
means any individual who after September 11, 2001—
(A)served on active
duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces of the United
States or full-time National Guard duty for a period of more than 180 days,
or
(B)was discharged or
released from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for a
service-connected disability.
(3)The term green
job means a job directly—
(A)improving the
energy efficiency of housing for elderly and low-income people,
(B)building
energy-efficient green
housing,
(C)assisting with the design and deployment of
smart grid technology,
(D)assisting with
electric power transmission systems, including upgrading and
reconductoring,
(E)assisting with
recycling and waste reduction,
(F)assisting in the
implementation of sustainable agriculture and farming,
(G)repairing,
renovating, or rehabilitating existing infrastructure or facility, including
rail, mass transportation, ports, schools and hospitals,
(H)improving
recreational trails,
(I)transforming
military bases affected by the Base Realignment and Closure process (BRAC) to
green the space,
(J)assisting with
reforestation,
(K)assisting with
renewable resource enhancement,
(L)assisting in
emergency operations, such as disaster prevention and relief, and
(M)assisting with
water and energy conservation.
(4)Sustainable
manufacturingThe term sustainable manufacturing has
the meaning specified by the Secretary of Commerce.
(d)This
section shall not apply to amounts paid or incurred after December 31,
2014.
.
(b)The table of
sections for part VI of subchapter B of such chapter is amended by adding at
the end the following new item:
Sec. 200. Increased job training for post 9-11
veterans.
.
(c)The amendments made by this section shall apply to amounts
paid or incurred after the date of the enactment of this Act.