[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3457 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 476
112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3457

 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans 
                  jobs corps, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2012

  Mr. Nelson of Florida (for himself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the 
             following bill; which was read the first time

                             July 31, 2012

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans 
                  jobs corps, 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 Jobs Corps Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS JOBS CORPS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, in 
cooperation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Agriculture, 
the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Secretary of the Interior, and the Commanding General of the United 
States Army Corps of Engineers, establish a veterans jobs corps to 
employ veterans--
            (1) in conservation, resource management, and historic 
        preservation projects on public lands and maintenance and 
        improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of 
        the National Cemetery Administration; and
            (2) as firefighters and law enforcement officers.
    (b) Conservation, Resource Management, Historic Preservation, and 
Cemetery Maintenance and Improvement Projects.--
            (1) In general.--As part of the veterans jobs corps, the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and 
        the Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of 
        Engineers shall--
                    (A) employ veterans to carry out projects described 
                in subsection (a)(1); or
                    (B) award grants to, or enter into contracts with, 
                State governments, local governments, or 
                nongovernmental entities to employ veterans to carry 
                out projects described in subsection (a)(1).
            (2) Priority.--In employing or awarding grants or contracts 
        to employ veterans under this subsection, the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary 
        of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Commanding 
        General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers shall give 
        priority towards the employment of veterans who served on 
        active duty in the Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001.
            (3) Coordination.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        coordinate the activities of the Attorney General, the 
        Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of the Interior, 
        and the Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of 
        Engineers to employ veterans as part of the veterans job corps.
            (4) Oversight of projects.--The secretaries referred to in 
        paragraph (1) and the Commanding General of the United States 
        Army Corps of Engineers shall each provide oversight of the 
        projects for which they employ veterans under subparagraph (A) 
        of such paragraph or award grants or enter into contracts under 
        subparagraph (B) of such paragraph.
    (c) First Responders.--
            (1) Firefighters.--As part of the veterans jobs corps, the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security shall award grants under section 
        34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 
        U.S.C. 2229a) to hire veterans as firefighters.
            (2) Law enforcement officers.--As part of the veterans jobs 
        corps, the Attorney General shall award grants under part Q of 
        title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
        1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq.) to hire veterans as law 
        enforcement officers.
            (3) Priority.--In awarding grants under this subsection to 
        hire veterans, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
        Attorney General shall give priority to the hiring of veterans 
        who served on active duty in the Armed Forces on or after 
        September 11, 2001.
    (d) Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
        provide assistance to the secretaries described in subsection 
        (a), the Attorney General, and the Commanding General of the 
        United States Army Corps of Engineers to carry out the veterans 
        jobs corps. Such assistance may take the form of a transfer 
        under paragraph (2).
            (2) Transfers.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
        subsection, of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 
        to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out this section, 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may transfer such amounts as 
        the Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the veterans 
        jobs corps to the following:
                    (A) The Attorney General.
                    (B) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                    (C) The Secretary of Commerce.
                    (D) The Secretary of Homeland Security.
                    (E) The Secretary of the Interior.
                    (F) The Commanding General of the United States 
                Army Corps of Engineers.
            (3) Assistance for conservation, resource management, 
        historic preservation, and cemetery maintenance and improvement 
        projects.--
                    (A) Application.--If a secretary referred to in 
                subsection (b)(1) or the Commanding General of the 
                United States Army Corps of Engineers seeks assistance 
                under paragraph (1) to employ a veteran to carry out a 
                project under subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) or 
                to award a grant or contract to carry out a project 
                under subparagraph (B) of such subsection, such 
                secretary or the Commanding General shall submit to the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs an application therefor 
                at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
                require.
                    (B) Selection.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                shall, in consultation with the steering committee 
                established under subparagraph (C), award assistance 
                under this paragraph in accordance with such criteria 
                as the steering committee establishes.
                    (C) Steering committee.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans 
                        Affairs shall establish a steering committee--
                                    (I) to establish selection criteria 
                                for the awarding of assistance under 
                                paragraph (1) to employ a veteran to 
                                carry out a project under subparagraph 
                                (A) of subsection (b)(1) or to award a 
                                grant or contract to carry out a 
                                project under subparagraph (B) of such 
                                subsection; and
                                    (II) to provide the Secretary of 
                                Veterans Affairs with advice on 
                                awarding assistance under this 
                                subsection with respect to projects 
                                described in subsection (a)(1) and 
                                carrying out the veterans jobs corps 
                                under subsection (b).
                            (ii) Composition.--The steering committee 
                        shall be composed of the following:
                                    (I) The Secretary of Veterans 
                                Affairs.
                                    (II) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                                    (III) The Secretary of Commerce.
                                    (IV) The Secretary of the Interior.
                                    (V) The Commanding General of the 
                                United States Army Corps of Engineers.
                            (iii) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the 
                        steering committee shall be the Secretary of 
                        Veterans Affairs.
                            (iv) Advisory input.--The Secretary of 
                        Defense and the Secretary of Labor may provide 
                        advice to the steering committee.
            (4) Assistance for first responders.--Not more than 10 
        percent of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out this section may 
        be transferred to the Attorney General and the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security to employ veterans under subsection (c).
    (e) Reporting Framework.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
establish a reporting framework to regularly monitor and evaluate the 
veterans jobs corps to ensure proper oversight and accountability of 
the veterans jobs corps.
    (f) Outreach.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that 
veterans employed under the veterans jobs corps are aware of benefits 
and assistance available to them under laws administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is available without further 
        appropriation to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
        this section, $1,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 
        2012 through 2017.
            (2) Limitation.--Of amounts made appropriated or otherwise 
        made available to carry out this section, not more than five 
        percent may be spent to administer the veterans jobs corps.
    (h) Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``veteran'' has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON PROVIDING VETERANS WITH ACCESS AT ONE-STOP 
              CENTERS TO INTERNET WEBSITES TO FACILITATE ONLINE JOB 
              SEARCHES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall commence a pilot 
program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing 
veterans seeking employment with access to computing facilities to 
facilitate the access of such veterans to Internet websites that--
            (1) match such veterans with available jobs based on the 
        skills the veterans acquired as members of the Armed Forces; 
        and
            (2) allow employers to post information about available 
        jobs.
    (b) Duration.--The pilot program required by subsection (a) shall 
be carried out during the one-year period beginning on the date on 
which the Secretary commences the pilot program.
    (c) Locations.--The pilot program shall be carried out at such one-
stop centers and such other locations as the Secretary of Labor 
considers appropriate for purposes of the pilot program.
    (d) Assistance With Use of Internet Websites.--
            (1) In general.--Under the pilot program, the Secretary of 
        Labor shall provide each veteran using computing facilities 
        made available under the pilot program with assistance in using 
        such facilities to find employment via Internet websites 
        described in subsection (a).
            (2) Disabled veterans' outreach program specialists and 
        local veterans' employment representatives.--Each State that 
        employs a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist under 
        section 4103A of title 38, United States Code, or a local 
        veterans' employment representative under section 4104 of such 
        title shall make such employees available to the Secretary of 
        Labor for purposes of providing assistance under paragraph (1).
    (e) Report.--Not later than 455 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Heath, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
of Representatives a report on the pilot program that includes the 
findings of the Secretary with respect to the feasibility and 
advisability of providing computing facilities as described in 
subsection (a) with assistance as described in subsection (d) at all 
one-stop centers.
    (f) Funding.--Amounts made available to the Secretary of Labor to 
make grants or contracts under section 4102A(b)(5) of title 38, United 
States Code, shall be available to the Secretary to carry out the pilot 
program required by subsection (a).
    (g) One-Stop Center Defined.--In this section, the term ``one-stop 
center'' means a center described in section 134(c) of the Workforce 
Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(c)).

SEC. 4. STATE CONSIDERATION OF MILITARY TRAINING IN GRANTING CERTAIN 
              STATE CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES AS A CONDITION ON THE 
              RECEIPT OF FUNDS FOR VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING.

    (a) In General.--Section 4102A(c) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(9)(A) As a condition of a grant or contract under which funds 
are made available to a State in order to carry out section 4103A or 
4104 of this title for any program year, the Secretary shall require 
the State--
            ``(i) to demonstrate that when the State approves or denies 
        a certification or license described in subparagraph (B) for a 
        veteran the State takes into consideration any training 
        received or experience gained by the veteran while serving on 
        active duty in the Armed Forces; and
            ``(ii) to disclose to the Secretary in writing the 
        following:
                    ``(I) Criteria applicants must satisfy to receive a 
                certification or license described in subparagraph (B) 
                by the State.
                    ``(II) A description of the standard practices of 
                the State for evaluating training received by veterans 
                while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces and 
                evaluating the documented work experience of such 
                veterans during such service for purposes of approving 
                or denying a certification or license described in 
                subparagraph (B).
                    ``(III) Identification of areas in which training 
                and experience described in subclause (II) fails to 
                meet criteria described in subclause (I).''
    ``(B) A certification or license described in this subparagraph is 
any of the following:
            ``(i) A license to be a State tested nursing assistant or a 
        certified nursing assistant.
            ``(ii) A commercial driver's license.
            ``(iii) An emergency medical technician license EMT-B or 
        EMT-I.
            ``(iv) An emergency medical technician-paramedic license.
    ``(C) The Secretary shall share the information the Secretary 
receives under subparagraph (A)(ii) with the Secretary of Defense to 
help the Secretary of Defense improve training for military 
occupational specialties so that individuals who receive such training 
are able to receive a certification or license described in 
subparagraph (B) from a State.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to a program year beginning on or after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. MINIMUM FUNDING LEVELS FOR DISABLED VETERANS' OUTREACH PROGRAM 
              SPECIALISTS AND LOCAL VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT 
              REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) In General.--Clause (iii) of section 4102A(c)(2)(B) of title 
38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(i)(I) In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
establish minimum funding levels and may establish hold-harmless 
criteria for States.
    ``(II) Except as provided in subclause (III), at a minimum, the 
minimum funding levels establish under subclause (I) shall ensure that 
each State receives sufficient funding to support at least one disabled 
veterans' outreach program specialist appointed under section 
4103A(a)(1) of this title and one local veterans' employment 
representative assigned under section 4104(b) of this title per 5,000 
square miles of service delivery area within the State.
    ``(III) In determining minimum funding levels under subclause (II), 
the Secretary may exclude consideration of counties with a population 
density of less than one person per square mile.''.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall submit 
        to Congress a report on the effect of the amendment made by 
        subsection (a) on veterans who reside in highly rural areas.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) A description of the effect of the amendment 
                made by subsection (a) on veterans who reside in highly 
                rural areas.
                    (B) Such recommendations for legislative or 
                administrative action as the Secretary considers 
                appropriate to improve the provision of contracts and 
                grants under section 4102A(b)(5) of such title to meet 
                the needs of veterans who reside in highly rural areas 
                and are eligible for services furnished under chapter 
                41 of such title.
            (3) Highly rural defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``highly rural'', in the case of an area, means that the area 
        consists of a county or counties having a population of less 
        than seven persons per square mile.

SEC. 6. OFF-BASE TRANSITION TRAINING.

    (a) Provision of Off-base Transition Training.--During the one-year 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Labor shall provide the Transition Assistance Program 
under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, to eligible 
individuals at locations other than military installations to assess 
the feasibility and advisability of providing such program to eligible 
individuals at locations other than military installations.
    (b) Eligible Individuals.--For purposes of this section, an 
eligible individual is a veteran or the spouse of a veteran.
    (c) Locations.--
            (1) Number of states.--The Secretary shall carry out the 
        training under subsection (a) in not less than three and not 
        more than five States selected by the Secretary for purposes of 
        this section.
            (2) Selection of states with high unemployment.--Of the 
        States selected by the Secretary under paragraph (1), at least 
        two shall be States with high rates of unemployment among 
        veterans.
            (3) Number of locations in each state.--The Secretary shall 
        provide training under subsection (a) to eligible individuals 
        at a sufficient number of locations within each State selected 
        under this subsection to meet the needs of eligible individuals 
        in such State.
            (4) Selection of locations.--The Secretary shall select 
        locations for the provision of training under subsection (a) to 
        facilitate access by participants and may not select any 
        location on a military installation other than a National Guard 
        or reserve facility that is not located on an active duty 
        military installation.
    (d) Inclusion of Information About Veterans Benefits.--The 
Secretary shall ensure that the training provided under subsection (a) 
generally follows the content of the Transition Assistance Program 
under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
    (e) Annual Report.--Not later than March 1 of any year during which 
the Secretary provides training under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a report on the provision of such training.
    (f) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
termination of the one-year period described in subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
report on the training provided under such subsection. The report shall 
include the evaluation of the Comptroller General regarding the 
feasibility and advisability of carrying out off-base transition 
training at locations nationwide.

SEC. 7. 100 PERCENT CONTINUOUS LEVY ON PAYMENT TO MEDICARE PROVIDERS 
              AND SUPPLIERS.

    Paragraph (3) of section 6331(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting ``, or, 
with respect to payments made during the 5-year period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of the Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012, to a 
Medicare provider or supplier under title XVIII of the Social Security 
Act.''.

SEC. 8. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR ULTRA-DEEPWATER AND 
              UNCONVENTIONAL NATURAL GAS AND OTHER PETROLEUM RESOURCES.

    (a) Repeal.--Subtitle J of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16371 et seq.) is repealed.
    (b) Rescission.--The unobligated balances of funds made available 
for fiscal year 2012 under section 999H of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16378) (as it existed before the amendment made by 
subsection (a)) are rescinded permanently.

SEC. 9. REVOCATION OR DENIAL OF PASSPORT IN CASE OF CERTAIN UNPAID 
              TAXES.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter D of chapter 75 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 7345. REVOCATION OR DENIAL OF PASSPORT IN CASE OF CERTAIN TAX 
              DELINQUENCIES.

    ``(a) In General.--If the Secretary receives certification by the 
Commissioner of Internal Revenue that any individual has a seriously 
delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000, the Secretary 
shall transmit such certification to the Secretary of State for action 
with respect to denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport 
pursuant to section 4 of the Act entitled `An Act to regulate the issue 
and validity of passports, and for other purposes', approved July 3, 
1926 (22 U.S.C. 211a et seq.), commonly known as the `Passport Act of 
1926'.
    ``(b) Seriously Delinquent Tax Debt.--For purposes of this section, 
the term `seriously delinquent tax debt' means an outstanding debt 
under this title for which a notice of lien has been filed in public 
records pursuant to section 6323 or a notice of levy has been filed 
pursuant to section 6331, except that such term does not include--
            ``(1) a debt that is being paid in a timely manner pursuant 
        to an agreement under section 6159 or 7122, and
            ``(2) a debt with respect to which a collection due process 
        hearing under section 6330, or relief under subsection (b), 
        (c), or (f) of section 6015, is requested or pending.
    ``(c) Adjustment for Inflation.--In the case of a calendar year 
beginning after 2012, the dollar amount in subsection (a) shall be 
increased by an amount equal to--
            ``(1) such dollar amount, multiplied by
            ``(2) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under 
        section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year, determined by 
        substituting `calendar year 2011' for `calendar year 1992' in 
        subparagraph (B) thereof.
If any amount as adjusted under the preceding sentence is not a 
multiple of $1,000, such amount shall be rounded to the next highest 
multiple of $1,000.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter D of 
chapter 75 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 
the end the following new item:

``Sec. 7345. Revocation or denial of passport in case of certain tax 
                            delinquencies.''.
    (c) Authority for Information Sharing.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (l) of section 6103 of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end 
        the following new paragraph:
            ``(23) Disclosure of return information to department of 
        state for purposes of passport revocation under section 7345.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, upon 
                receiving a certification described in section 7345, 
                disclose to the Secretary of State return information 
                with respect to a taxpayer who has a seriously 
                delinquent tax debt described in such section. Such 
                return information shall be limited to--
                            ``(i) the taxpayer identity information 
                        with respect to such taxpayer, and
                            ``(ii) the amount of such seriously 
                        delinquent tax debt.
                    ``(B) Restriction on disclosure.--Return 
                information disclosed under subparagraph (A) may be 
                used by officers and employees of the Department of 
                State for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary 
                in, carrying out the requirements of section 4 of the 
                Act entitled `An Act to regulate the issue and validity 
                of passports, and for other purposes', approved July 3, 
                1926 (22 U.S.C. 211a et seq.), commonly known as the 
                `Passport Act of 1926'.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Paragraph (4) of section 6103(p) 
        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking 
        ``or (22)'' each place it appears in subparagraph (F)(ii) and 
        in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and inserting ``(22), 
        or (23)''.
    (d) Revocation Authorization.--The Act entitled ``An Act to 
regulate the issue and validity of passports, and for other purposes'', 
approved July 3, 1926 (22 U.S.C. 211a et seq.), commonly known as the 
``Passport Act of 1926'', is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 4. AUTHORITY TO DENY OR REVOKE PASSPORT.

    ``(a) Ineligibility.--
            ``(1) Issuance.--Except as provided under subsection (b), 
        upon receiving a certification described in section 7345 of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 from the Secretary of the 
        Treasury, the Secretary of State may not issue a passport or 
        passport card to any individual who has a seriously delinquent 
        tax debt described in such section.
            ``(2) Revocation.--The Secretary of State shall revoke a 
        passport or passport card previously issued to any individual 
        described in subparagraph (A).
    ``(b) Exceptions.--
            ``(1) Emergency and humanitarian situations.--
        Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary of State may 
        issue a passport or passport card, in emergency circumstances 
        or for humanitarian reasons, to an individual described in 
        subsection (a)(1).
            ``(2) Limitation for return to united states.--
        Notwithstanding subsection (a)(2), the Secretary of State, 
        before revocation, may--
                    ``(A) limit a previously issued passport or 
                passport card only for return travel to the United 
                States; or
                    ``(B) issue a limited passport or passport card 
                that only permits return travel to the United 
                States.''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on January 1, 2013.
                                                       Calendar No. 476

112th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 3457

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans 
                  jobs corps, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             July 31, 2012

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar