[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1637 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1637

 To better connect current and former members of the Armed Forces with 
     employment opportunities by consolidating duplicative Federal 
    Government Internet websites into a single portal, to conserve 
 resources by merging redundant and competing programs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 31, 2013

 Mr. Manchin (for himself and Mr. Kirk) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To better connect current and former members of the Armed Forces with 
     employment opportunities by consolidating duplicative Federal 
    Government Internet websites into a single portal, to conserve 
 resources by merging redundant and competing programs, 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 ``United We Stand to Hire Veterans 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CONSOLIDATED AND COORDINATED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTERNET PORTAL 
              TO CONNECT CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
              WITH EMPLOYERS SEEKING EMPLOYEES WITH SKILLS AND 
              EXPERIENCE DEVELOPED THROUGH MILITARY SERVICE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Although significant progress has been made, 
        unemployment among veterans remains stubbornly high.
            (2) The unemployment rate among younger veterans, ages 18 
        to 24, remains well above the national average.
            (3) This problem impacts the Department of Defense budget. 
        Over the past 10 years, the Federal Government has expended 
        more than $9,600,000,000 on unemployment compensation benefits 
        for former members of the Armed Forces.
            (4) The Department makes significant investments in members 
        of the Armed Forces including specialized technical training in 
        skills that are easily transferrable to civilian career fields.
            (5) Beyond specific technical training, veterans gain 
        unique leadership, organizational, and other skills that make 
        them valued employees in the private sector.
            (6) Government agencies, private sector entities, and 
        nonprofit organizations are responding to the issue of 
        unemployment among veterans.
            (7) There are now so many programs to assist veterans in 
        finding employment, many within the Government, that veterans 
        may not know where to turn to find assistance in finding 
        employment. While these programs are well intentioned, many are 
        duplicative in nature, and compete for scarce resources.
            (8) The Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Office of Personnel 
        Management are currently working to consolidate the veterans' 
        employment initiatives of the Government into a single, 
        consolidated Internet portal with the goal of connecting 
        veterans who are seeking employment with employers who want to 
        employ them.
            (9) The consolidated portal would prevent Federal 
        Government agencies from competing with each other to 
        accomplish the same goal, and will save the Federal Government 
        money while providing a comprehensive, coordinated tool for 
        employers and veterans seeking employment.
            (10) The Federal Government can accomplish this by 
        leveraging the best practices of current programs.
            (11) While progress has been made, there is no statutory 
        requirement to streamline these Government programs and 
        coordinate the resources that are all intended to achieve the 
        same goal.
    (b) Consolidated Internet Portal Required.--Commencing not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Labor shall, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense 
and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, consolidate Internet portals of 
the Federal Government on employment for current and former members of 
the Armed Forces into a comprehensive consolidated Internet portal for 
the purposes of connecting current and former members of the Armed 
Forces who are seeking employment with employers who want to employ 
them.
    (c) Elements.--
            (1) In general.--The consolidated Internet portal under 
        subsection (b) should include the following:
                    (A) A means through which current and former 
                members of the Armed Forces may connect for employment 
                purposes with employers seeking the experience and 
                skills developed during service in the Armed Forces, 
                including a means of presenting a profile of each 
                member or former member to employers that includes, at 
                a minimum--
                            (i) the skills obtained by such member or 
                        former member during service in the Armed 
                        Forces and additional skills such member or 
                        former member is interested in pursuing; and
                            (ii) the current or intended residence of 
                        such member or former member (including an 
                        option for members or former members who are 
                        willing to reside in various locations).
                    (B) A means of permitting qualified prospective 
                employers to post employment openings and seek contact 
                with members or former members based on their profile 
                for the purposes of requesting the initiation of 
                arrangements or negotiations concerning potential 
                employment.
                    (C) A means of presenting other employment 
                resources, including resume preparation, to members or 
                former members seeking employment.
            (2) Matters considered.--In developing the consolidated 
        Internet portal, the Secretaries referred to in subsection (b) 
        should consider, at a minimum, the following:
                    (A) Public and private sector resources on matters 
                relating to the portal.
                    (B) Opportunities to incorporate local employment 
                networks into the portal.
                    (C) Methodologies to determine the most effective 
                employment resources and programs to be incorporated 
                into the portal.
                    (D) Means for streamlining processes through the 
                portal for employers to find and employ former members 
                of the Armed Forces.
    (d) Member Participation.--Participation by a member or former 
member of the Armed Force in the consolidated Internet portal under 
subsection (b) shall be voluntary. A member or former member 
participating in the portal may cease participation in the portal at 
any time.
    (e) Pilot Project Authority.--
            (1) In general.--In order to expedite implementation of the 
        consolidated Internet portal under subsection (b), the 
        Secretaries may carry out one or more pilot projects to 
        evaluate the feasibility and advisability of various options 
        for the portal. Any such pilot project may only be a 
        continuation or modification of an existing program.
            (2) Sunset.--The authority to carry out pilot projects 
        under this subsection shall expire on the date that is five 
        years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (f) Reports.--
            (1) Preliminary report.--Not later than six months after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 
        submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on 
        the consolidated Internet portal under subsection (b). The 
        report shall include the following:
                    (A) A list of the Internet portals of the Federal 
                Government that are redundant to, or duplicative of, 
                the consolidated Internet portal.
                    (B) An estimate of the cost-savings to be achieved 
                by the Federal Government through the consolidated 
                Internet portal, including through the elimination or 
                consolidation into the consolidated Internet portal of 
                the Internet portals listed under subparagraph (A).
            (2) Report following implementation of portal.--Not later 
        than one year after the date of the implementation of the 
        portal under subsection (b), the Secretaries shall submit to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the portal.
            (3) Elements.--Each report under this subsection shall 
        include a description of the portal and such other information 
        on the portal as the Secretaries consider appropriate.
            (4) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the 
                Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on 
                Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations 
                of the House of Representatives.
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