[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 244 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 244
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and
retain men and women who have served in the United States military with
annual Federal awards to employers recognizing such efforts, 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 ``Honoring Investments in Recruiting
and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2017'' or the ``HIRE
Vets Act''.
SEC. 2. HIRE VETS MEDALLION AWARD PROGRAM.
(a) Program Established.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall establish, by rule,
a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to solicit voluntary information from
employers for purposes of recognizing, by means of an award to be
designated a ``HIRE Vets Medallion Award'', verified efforts by such
employers--
(1) to recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and
(2) to provide community and charitable services supporting
the veteran community.
(b) Application Process.--Beginning in the calendar year following
the calendar year in which the Secretary establishes the program, the
Secretary shall annually--
(1) solicit and accept voluntary applications from
employers in order to consider whether those employers should
receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award;
(2) review applications received in each calendar year; and
(3) notify such recipients of their awards; and
(4) at a time to coincide with the annual commemoration of
Veterans Day--
(A) announce the names of such recipients;
(B) recognize such recipients through publication
in the Federal Register; and
(C) issue to each such recipient--
(i) a HIRE Vets Medallion Award of the
level determined under section 3; and
(ii) a certificate stating that such
employer is entitled to display such HIRE Vets
Medallion Award.
(c) Timing.--
(1) Solicitation period.--The Secretary shall solicit
applications not later than January 31st of each calendar year
for the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar year.
(2) End of acceptance period.--The Secretary shall stop
accepting applications not earlier than April 30th of each
calendar year for the Awards to be awarded in November of that
calendar year.
(3) Review period.--The Secretary shall finish reviewing
applications not later than August 31st of each calendar year
for the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar year.
(4) Selection of recipients.--The Secretary shall select
the employers to receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not later
than September 30th of each calendar year for the Awards to be
awarded in November of that calendar year.
(5) Notice to recipients.--The Secretary shall notify
employers who will receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not later
than October 11th of each calendar year for the Awards to be
awarded in November of that calendar year.
(d) Limitation.--An employer who receives a HIRE Vets Medallion
Award for one calendar year is not eligible to receive a HIRE Vets
Medallion Award for the subsequent calendar year.
SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.
(a) Application Review Process.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall review all
applications received in a calendar year to determine whether
an employer should receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, and, if
so, of what level.
(2) Application contents.--The Secretary shall require that
all applications provide information on the programs and other
efforts of applicant employers during the calendar year prior
to that in which the medallion is to be awarded, including the
categories and activities governing the level of award for
which the applicant is eligible under subsection (b).
(3) Verification.--The Secretary shall verify all
information provided in the applications, to the extent that
such information is relevant in determining whether or not an
employer should receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award or in
determining the appropriate level of HIRE Vets Medallion Award
for that employer to receive, including by requiring the chief
executive officer or the chief human relations officer of the
employer to attest under penalty of perjury that the employer
has met the criteria described in subsection (b) for a
particular level of Award.
(b) Awards.--
(1) Large employers.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 2
levels of HIRE Vets Medallion Awards to be awarded to
employers employing 500 or more employees, to be
designated the ``Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award'' and
the ``Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion Award''.
(B) Gold hire vets medallion award.--No employer
shall be eligible to receive a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion
Award in a given calendar year unless--
(i) veterans constitute not less than 7
percent of all employees hired by such employer
during the prior calendar year;
(ii) such employer has retained not less
than 75 percent of the veteran employees hired
during the calendar year preceding the
preceding calendar year for a period of at
least 12 months from the date on which the
employees were hired;
(iii) such employer has established an
employee veteran organization or resource group
to assist new veteran employees with
integration, including coaching and mentoring;
and
(iv) such employer has established programs
to enhance the leadership skills of veteran
employees during their employment.
(C) Platinum hire vets medallion award.--No
employer shall be eligible to receive a Platinum HIRE
Vets Medallion Award in a given calendar year unless--
(i) the employer meets all the requirements
for eligibility for a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion
Award under subparagraph (B);
(ii) veterans constitute not less than 10
percent of all employees hired by such employer
during the prior calendar year;
(iii) such employer has retained not less
than 85 percent of the veteran employees hired
during the calendar year preceding the
preceding calendar year for a period of at
least 12 months from the date on which the
employees were hired;
(iv) such employer employs dedicated human
resources professionals to support hiring and
retention of veteran employees, including
efforts focused on veteran hiring and training;
(v) such employer provides each of its
employees serving on active duty in the United
States National Guard or Reserve with
compensation sufficient, in combination with
the employee's active duty pay, to achieve a
combined level of income commensurate with the
employee's salary prior to undertaking active
duty; and
(vi) such employer has a tuition assistance
program to support veteran employees'
attendance in postsecondary education during
the term of their employment.
(D) Exemption for smaller employers.--An employer
shall be deemed to meet the requirements of
subparagraph (C)(iv) if such employer--
(i) employs 5,000 or fewer employees; and
(ii) employs at least one human resources
professional whose regular work duties include
those described under subparagraph (C)(iv).
(E) Additional criteria.--The Secretary may
provide, by rule, additional criteria with which to
determine qualifications for receipt of each level of
HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
(2) Small- and medium-sized employers.--The Secretary shall
establish similar awards in order to recognize achievements in
supporting veterans by--
(A) employers with 50 or fewer employees; and
(B) employers with more than 50 but fewer than 500
employees.
(c) Design by Secretary.--The Secretary shall establish the shape,
form, and design of each HIRE Vets Medallion Award, except that the
Award shall be in the form of a certificate and shall state the year
for which it was awarded.
SEC. 4. DISPLAY OF AWARD.
(a) In General.--The recipient of a HIRE Vets Medallion Award may--
(1) publicly display such Award through the end of the
calendar year following receipt of such Award; and
(2) publicly display the HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Certificate issued in conjunction with such Award.
(b) Unlawful Display Prohibited.--It is unlawful for any employer
to publicly display a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, in connection with, or
as a part of, any advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or
product--
(1) for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably
calculated to convey, a false impression that the employer
received the Award through the HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Program, if such employer did not receive such Award through
the HIRE Vets Medallion Award Program; or
(2) for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably
calculated to convey, a false impression that the employer
received the Award through the HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Program for a year for which such employer did not receive such
Award.
SEC. 5. APPLICATION FEE AND FUNDING.
(a) Fund Established.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a fund to be designated the ``HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Fund''. Amounts appropriated to the fund pursuant to subsection (c)
shall remain available until expended.
(b) Fee Authorized.--The Secretary may assess a reasonable fee on
employers that apply for receipt of a HIRE Vets Medallion Award and the
Secretary shall deposit such fees into the HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Fund. The Secretary shall establish the amount of the fee such that the
amounts collected as fees and deposited into the Fund are sufficient to
cover the costs associated with carrying out this Act.
(c) Use of Funds.--Amounts in the HIRE Vets Medallion Award Fund
shall be available, subject to appropriation, to the Secretary to carry
out the HIRE Vets Medallion Award Program.
SEC. 6. INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.
The HIRE Vets Medallion Program shall begin to solicit applications
on January 31 of the year that is 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year
during which funds are first appropriated to carry out this Act.
SEC. 7. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
(a) Reports.--Beginning not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress annual
reports on--
(1) the fees collected from applicants for HIRE Vets
Medallion Awards in the prior year and any changes in fees to
be proposed in the present year;
(2) the cost of administering the HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Program in the prior year;
(3) the number of applications for HIRE Vets Medallion
Awards received in the prior year; and
(4) the HIRE Vets Medallion Awards awarded in the prior
year, including the name of each employer to whom a HIRE Vets
Medallion Award was awarded and the level of medallion awarded
to each such employer.
(b) Committees.--The Secretary shall provide the reports required
under subsection (a) to the Chairman and Ranking Member of--
(1) the Committees on Education and the Workforce and
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committees on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions and Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(a) The term ``employer'' means any person, institution,
organization, or other entity that pays salary or wages for work
performed or that has control over employee opportunities, except that
such term does not include--
(1) the Federal Government; or
(2) any State government, as defined in such section.
(b) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Labor.
(c) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given such term under
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
Passed the House of Representatives February 13, 2017.
Attest:
Clerk.
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 244
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To encourage effective, voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and
retain men and women who have served in the United States military with
annual Federal awards to employers recognizing such efforts, and for
other purposes.