II 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1820 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 8, 2011 Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Blunt) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance to State National Guards to provide counseling and reintegration services for members of reserve components of the Armed Forces ordered to active duty in support of a contingency operation, members returning from such active duty, veterans of the Armed Forces, and their families.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the National Guard Outreach Act.

2.

Support for National Guard counseling and reintegration services

(a)

Assistance authorized

The Secretary of Defense may provide assistance to a State National Guard to support programs to provide pre- and post-deployment outreach, reintegration, and readjustment services to the following persons: (1)Members of reserve components of the Armed Forces who reside in the State or are members of the State National Guard regardless of place of residence and who are ordered to active duty in support of a contingency operation. (2)Members described in paragraph (1) upon their return from such active duty. (3)Veterans (as defined in section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code). (4)Dependents of persons described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3). (b)

Elements of programs

Programs supported under subsection (a) shall use direct person-to-person outreach and other relevant activities to ensure that eligible persons receive all the services and support available to them during pre-deployment, deployment, and reintegration periods. (c)

Merit-Based or competitive decisions

A decision to commit, obligate, or expend funds with or to a specific State National Guard under subsection (a) shall— (1)be based on merit-based selection procedures in accordance with the requirements of sections 2304(k) and 2374 of title 10, United States Code, or on competitive procedures; and (2)comply with other applicable provisions of law. (d)

State defined

In this section, the term State means each of the several States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.