[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5683 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5683

 To authorize the President to establish the Veterans' Job Corps as a 
means of providing gainful employment to unemployed veterans and widows 
  of veterans through the performance of useful public works, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the President to establish the Veterans' Job Corps as a 
means of providing gainful employment to unemployed veterans and widows 
  of veterans through the performance of useful public works, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Veterans' Job Corps Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF VETERANS' JOB CORPS.

    (a) Establishment and Purpose.--In order to provide employment 
opportunities to veterans and widows and to provide for the restoration 
of depleted natural resources in the United States and the advancement 
of an orderly program of useful public works, the President may 
establish and operate a Veterans' Job Corps to employ veterans and 
widows who are otherwise unemployed, in the construction, maintenance, 
and carrying on of works of a public nature in connection with--
            (1) the forestation of lands belonging to the United States 
        or a State;
            (2) the prevention of forest fires, floods, and soil 
        erosion;
            (3) public safety;
            (4) plant pest and disease control;
            (5) the construction, maintenance, or repair of paths, 
        trails, and fire-lanes in units of the National Park System, 
        public lands, and other lands under the jurisdiction of the 
        Secretary of the Interior and units of the National Forest 
        System; and
            (6) such other work on Federal or State land incidental to 
        or necessary in connection with any projects of the character 
        enumerated in paragraphs (1) through (5) that the President 
        determines to be desirable.
    (b) Role of Federal Agencies.--To operate the Veterans' Job Corps, 
the President may use existing Federal departments and agencies, 
including the Department of the Interior, the Department of 
Agriculture, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Inclusion of Other Lands.--The President may extend the 
activities of the Veterans' Job Corps to lands owned by a political 
subdivision of a State and lands in private ownership for the purpose 
of conducting such kinds of cooperation work authorized by law in 
preventing and controlling forest fires and the attacks of forest tree 
pests and diseases and such work as is necessary and in the public 
interest to control floods.
    (d) Contract Authority.--The President may enter into such 
contracts or agreements that may be necessary to carry out this Act.
    (e) Acquisition of Real Property.--The President, or the head of 
any department or agency authorized by the President to construct any 
project or to carry on any public works under this Act, may acquire 
real property for such project or public work by purchase, donation, or 
otherwise.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF VETERANS' JOB CORPS.

    (a) Employment Preference.--The President shall employ individuals 
in the Veterans' Job Corps in the following order of preference:
            (1) Unemployed veterans.
            (2) Widows who, immediately before employment in the 
        Veterans' Job Corps, are eligible for unemployment compensation 
        payable under any State law or Federal unemployment 
        compensation law, including any additional compensation or 
        extended compensation under such laws.
    (b) Housing and Care of Employees.--The President may provide 
housing for individuals employed in the Veterans' Job Corps and furnish 
them with such subsistence, clothing, medical attendance and 
hospitalization, and cash allowance, as may be necessary, during the 
period they are so employed.
    (c) Transportation.--The President may provide for the 
transportation of individuals employed in the Veterans' Job Corps to 
and from the places of employment.
    (d) Exclusion.--The following individuals may not be employed under 
the provisions of this Act:
            (1) An individual convicted of a felony.
            (2) A veteran who was discharged from the Armed Forces 
        under dishonorable conditions.

SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) Use of Unobligated Funds Appropriated for Public Works.--
            (1) Use of existing funds.--In addition to any amounts 
        appropriated to carry out this Act, the President may use any 
        moneys previously appropriated for public works and unobligated 
        as of the date of the enactment of this Act to establish and 
        operate a Veterans' Job Corps under this Act.
            (2) Use to relieve unemployment.--Not less than 75 percent 
        of the funds used pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be used to 
        provide for the employment of individuals under this Act.
    (b) Duration of Availability.--Amounts appropriated to carry out 
this Act or made available under subsection (b) shall remain available 
until expended.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given that term in 
        section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``widow''--
                    (A) means the spouse of a veteran who has not 
                remarried after the death of such veteran; and
                    (B) includes widowers.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION.

    The authority of the President to establish and operate a Veterans' 
Job Corps under this Act expires on September 30, 2018.
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