I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4288 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 28, 2012 Ms. Hahn introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide grants to States to assist veterans with who were trained to drive large vehicles while serving in the Armed Forces in obtaining, upon their discharge or release from active duty service, State commercial drivers licenses.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Commercial Drivers Licenses for Veterans Act.

2.

Grant program to assist veterans trained to drive large vehicles in obtaining commercial drivers licences

(a)

Program

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a program consisting of awarding grants to States to assist veterans who received and completed training to drive large vehicles while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States in obtaining, upon their discharge or release from active duty service, State commercial drivers licenses. (b)

Use of Funds

Amounts received as a grant under this section may be used to assist veterans described in subsection (a) in obtaining State commercial drivers licenses as follows: (1)Providing to such veterans required course work and training that take into account, and are not duplicative of, course work and training received when such veterans were active members of the Armed Forces of the United States, to enable such veterans to satisfy State requirements for obtaining a commercial drivers license, as determined by the appropriate State regulatory entity. (2)Providing reimbursement for costs associated with— (A)such course work and training; or (B)applying for a commercial drivers license. (3)Expediting the licensing process. (c)

Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant under this section, a State shall demonstrate to the Secretary’s satisfaction that the State has a shortage of individuals with commercial drivers licenses. (d)

Report

The Secretary shall submit to the Congress an annual report on the program under this section. (e)

Authorization of Appropriations

To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017. (f)

GAO Study and Report

The Comptroller General of the United States shall— (1)conduct a study on the barriers experienced by veterans who received training as large vehicle drivers while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and, upon their discharge or release from active duty service, seek to obtain State commercial drivers licenses; and (2)not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Congress a report on the results of such study, including recommendations on whether the program established under this section should be expanded to assist veterans seeking other type of licenses and certifications.