[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2147 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 2147

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire additional 
   Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists to provide treatment court 
     services to justice-involved veterans, 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 Treatment Court Improvement 
Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. HIRING BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF ADDITIONAL VETERANS 
              JUSTICE OUTREACH SPECIALISTS.

    (a) Hiring of Additional Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall hire not fewer than 50 Veterans Justice Outreach 
        Specialists and place each such Veterans Justice Outreach 
        Specialist at an eligible Department of Veterans Affairs 
        medical center in accordance with this section.
            (2) Requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that each 
        Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist employed under paragraph 
        (1)--
                    (A) serves, either exclusively or in addition to 
                other duties, as part of a justice team in a veterans 
                treatment court or other veteran-focused court; and
                    (B) otherwise meets Department hiring guidelines 
                for Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists.
    (b) Eligible Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.--For 
purposes of this section, an eligible Department of Veterans Affairs 
medical center is any Department of Veterans Affairs medical center 
that--
            (1) complies with all Department guidelines and regulations 
        for placement of a Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist;
            (2) works within a local criminal justice system with 
        justice-involved veterans;
            (3) maintains an affiliation with one or more veterans 
        treatment courts or other veteran-focused courts; and
            (4) either--
                    (A) routinely provides Veterans Justice Outreach 
                Specialists to serve as part of a justice team in a 
                veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused 
                court; or
                    (B) establishes a plan that is approved by the 
                Secretary to provide Veterans Justice Outreach 
                Specialists employed under subsection (a)(1) to serve 
                as part of a justice team in a veterans treatment court 
                or other veteran-focused court.
    (c) Placement Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize the 
placement of Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists employed under 
subsection (a)(1) at eligible Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
centers that have or intend to establish an affiliation, for the 
purpose of carrying out the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, with a 
veterans treatment court, or other veteran-focused court, that--
            (1) was established on or after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act; or
            (2)(A) was established before the date of the enactment of 
        this Act; and
            (B) is not fully staffed with Veterans Justice Outreach 
        Specialists.
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Report by secretary of veterans affairs.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
                Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on 
                the implementation of this section and its effect on 
                the Veterans Justice Outreach Program.
                    (B) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph 
                (1) shall include the following:
                            (i) The status of the efforts of the 
                        Secretary to hire Veterans Justice Outreach 
                        Specialists pursuant to subsection (a)(1), 
                        including the total number of Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Specialists hired by the Secretary 
                        pursuant to such subsection and the number that 
                        the Secretary expects to hire pursuant to such 
                        subsection.
                            (ii) The total number of Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Specialists assigned to each 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs medical center 
                        that participates in the Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Program, including the number of 
                        Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists hired 
                        under subsection (a)(1) disaggregated by 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs medical center.
                            (iii) The total number of eligible 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers 
                        that sought placement of a Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Specialist under subsection (a)(1), 
                        how many Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists 
                        each such center sought, and how many of such 
                        medical centers received no placement of a 
                        Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist under 
                        subsection (a)(1).
                            (iv) For each eligible Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs medical center--
                                    (I) the number of justice-involved 
                                veterans who were served or are 
                                expected to be served by a Veterans 
                                Justice Outreach Specialist hired under 
                                subsection (a)(1); and
                                    (II) the number of justice-involved 
                                veterans who do not have access to a 
                                Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist.
            (2) Report by comptroller general of the united states.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
                General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
                report on the implementation of this section and the 
                effectiveness of the Veterans Justice Outreach Program.
                    (B) Contents.--The report required by subparagraph 
                (A) shall include the following:
                            (i) An assessment of whether the Secretary 
                        has fulfilled the Secretary's obligations under 
                        this section.
                            (ii) The number of veterans who are served 
                        by Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists hired 
                        under subsection (a)(1), disaggregated by 
                        demographics (including discharge status).
                            (iii) An identification of any subgroups of 
                        veterans who underutilize services provided 
                        under laws administered by the Secretary, 
                        including an assessment of whether these 
                        veterans have access to Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Specialists under the Veterans Justice 
                        Outreach Program.
                            (iv) Such recommendations as the 
                        Comptroller General may have for the Secretary 
                        to improve the effectiveness of the Veterans 
                        Justice Outreach Program.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Justice team.--The term ``justice team'' means the 
        group of individuals, which may include a judge, court 
        coordinator, prosecutor, public defender, treatment provider, 
        probation or other law enforcement officer, program mentor, and 
        Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist, who assist justice-
        involved veterans in a veterans treatment court or other 
        veteran-focused court.
            (2) Justice-involved veteran.--The term ``justice-involved 
        veteran'' means a veteran with active, ongoing, or recent 
        contact with some component of a local criminal justice system.
            (3) Local criminal justice system.--The term ``local 
        criminal justice system'' means law enforcement, jails, 
        prisons, and Federal, State, and local courts.
            (4) Veterans justice outreach program.--The term ``Veterans 
        Justice Outreach Program'' means the program through which the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs identifies justice-involved 
        veterans and provides such veterans with access to Department 
        services.
            (5) Veterans justice outreach specialist.--The term 
        ``Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist'' means an employee of 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs who serves as a liaison 
        between the Department and the local criminal justice system on 
        behalf of a justice-involved veteran.
            (6) Veterans treatment court.--The term ``veterans 
        treatment court'' means a State or local court that is 
        participating in the veterans treatment court program (as 
        defined in section 2991(i)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
        Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa(i)(1))).

            Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
115th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 2147

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

    To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire additional 
   Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists to provide treatment court 
     services to justice-involved veterans, and for other purposes.