[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2326 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2326

  To amend the Social Security Act, to amend the Dignified Burial and 
  Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012, and to direct the 
Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Labor, and Homeland Security, 
  and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to take 
  certain actions to improve transition assistance to members of the 
  Armed Forces who separate, retire, or are discharged from the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2019

Mr. Levin of California (for himself, Mr. Arrington, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. 
   Bilirakis, Mr. Cunningham, and Mrs. Lee of Nevada) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Ways 
 and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Social Security Act, to amend the Dignified Burial and 
  Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012, and to direct the 
Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Labor, and Homeland Security, 
  and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to take 
  certain actions to improve transition assistance to members of the 
  Armed Forces who separate, retire, or are discharged from the Armed 
                    Forces, 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 ``Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer 
William `Bill' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TAP DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``TAP'' means the Transition Assistance 
Program under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 3. ACCESS FOR THE SECRETARIES OF LABOR AND VETERANS AFFAIRS TO THE 
              FEDERAL DIRECTORY OF NEW HIRES.

    Section 453A(h) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653a(h)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Veteran employment.--The Secretaries of Labor and of 
        Veterans Affairs shall have access to information reported by 
        employers pursuant to subsection (b) of this section for 
        purposes of tracking employment of veterans.''.

SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR OFF-BASE TRANSITION TRAINING FOR VETERANS AND 
              SPOUSES.

    (a) Extension of Pilot Program.--Subsection (a) of section 301 of 
the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 
2012 (Public Law 112-260; 10 U.S.C. 1144 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``During the two-year period beginning on 
        the date of the enactment of this Act'' and inserting ``During 
        the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
        the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William `Bill' Mulder (Ret.) 
        Transition Improvement Act of 2019''; and
            (2) by striking ``to assess the feasibility and 
        advisability of providing such program to eligible individuals 
        at locations other than military installations''.
    (b) Locations.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``not less than three and 
        not more than five States'' and inserting ``not fewer than 50 
        locations in States (as defined in section 101 of title 38, 
        United States Code)''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``at least two'' and 
        inserting ``at least 20''.
    (c) Conforming Repeal.--Subsection (f) of such section is repealed.

SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR PROVISION OF TRANSITION ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS OF THE 
              ARMED FORCES AFTER SEPARATION, RETIREMENT, OR DISCHARGE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make 
grants to eligible organizations for the provision of transition 
assistance to members of the Armed Forces who are separated, retired, 
or discharged from the Armed Forces, and spouses of such members.
    (b) Use of Funds.--The recipient of a grant under this section 
shall use the grant to provide to members of the Armed Forces and 
spouses described in subsection (a) resume assistance, interview 
training, job recruitment training, and related services leading 
directly to successful transition, as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Eligible Organizations.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
section, an organization shall submit to the Secretary an application 
containing such information and assurances as the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Labor, may require.
    (d) Priority for Hubs of Services.--In making grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to an organization that 
provides multiple forms of services described in subsection (b).
    (e) Amount of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be in an 
amount that does not exceed 50 percent of the amount required by the 
organization to provide the services described in subsection (b).
    (f) Deadline.--The Secretary shall carry out this section not later 
than six months after the effective date of this Act.
    (g) Termination.--The authority to provide a grant under this 
section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date 
on which the Secretary implements the grant program under this section.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $10,000,000 to carry out this section.

SEC. 6. ONE-YEAR INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TAP.

    (a) Independent Assessment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
consultation with the covered officials, shall enter into an agreement 
with an appropriate entity with experience in adult education to carry 
out a one-year independent assessment of TAP, including--
            (1) the effectiveness of TAP for members of each military 
        department during the entire military life cycle;
            (2) the appropriateness of the TAP career readiness 
        standards;
            (3) a review of information that is provided to the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs under TAP, including mental 
        health data;
            (4) whether TAP effectively addresses the challenges 
        veterans face entering the civilian workforce and in 
        translating experience and skills from military service to the 
        job market;
            (5) whether TAP effectively addresses the challenges faced 
        by the families of veterans making the transition to civilian 
        life;
            (6) appropriate metrics regarding TAP outcomes for members 
        of the Armed Forces one year after separation, retirement, or 
        discharge from the Armed Forces;
            (7) what the Secretary, in consultation with the covered 
        officials and veterans service organizations determine to be 
        successful outcomes for TAP;
            (8) whether members of the Armed Forces achieve successful 
        outcomes for TAP, as determined under paragraph (7);
            (9) how the Secretary and the covered officials provide 
        feedback to each other regarding such outcomes;
            (10) recommendations for the Secretaries of the military 
        departments regarding how to improve outcomes for members of 
        the Armed Forces after separation, retirement, and discharge; 
        and
            (11) other topics the Secretary and the covered officials 
        determine would aid members of the Armed Forces as they 
        transition to civilian life.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the completion of the 
independent assessment under subsection (a), the Secretary and the 
covered officials, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs 
of the Senate and House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and House of Representatives--
            (1) the findings and recommendations (including recommended 
        legislation) of the independent assessment prepared by the 
        entity described in subsection (a); and
            (2) responses of the Secretary and the covered officials to 
        the findings and recommendations described in paragraph (1).
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``covered officials'' is comprised of--
                    (A) the Secretary of Defense;
                    (B) the Secretary of Labor;
                    (C) the Administrator of the Small Business 
                Administration; and
                    (D) the Secretaries of the military departments.
            (2) The term ``military department'' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 7. LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON CHANGES TO TAP.

    (a) Study.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with 
the Secretaries of Defense and Labor and the Administrator of the Small 
Business Administration, shall conduct a five-year longitudinal study 
regarding TAP on three separate cohorts of members of the Armed Forces 
who have separated from the Armed Forces, including--
            (1) a cohort that has attended TAP counseling as 
        implemented on the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (2) a cohort that attends TAP counseling after the 
        Secretaries of Defense and Labor implement changes recommended 
        in the report under section 6(b) of this Act; and
            (3) a cohort that has not attended TAP counseling.
    (b) Progress Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the day that is 
one year after the date of the initiation of the study under subsection 
(a) and annually thereafter for the three subsequent years, the 
Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor, and the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 
House of Representatives a progress report of activities under the 
study during the immediately preceding year.
    (c) Final Report.--Not later than 180 days after the completion of 
the study under subsection (a), the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, 
Defense, and Labor, and the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of 
the Senate and House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report of final 
findings and recommendations based on the study.
    (d) Elements.--The final report under subsection (c) shall include 
information regarding the following:
            (1) The percentage of each cohort that received 
        unemployment benefits during the study.
            (2) The numbers of months members of each cohort were 
        employed during the study.
            (3) Annual starting and ending salaries of members of each 
        cohort who were employed during the study.
            (4) How many members of each cohort enrolled in an 
        institution of higher learning, as that term is defined in 
        section 3452(f) of title 38, United States Code.
            (5) The academic credit hours, degrees, and certificates 
        obtained by members of each cohort during the study.
            (6) The annual income of members of each cohort.
            (7) The total household income of members of each cohort.
            (8) How many members of each cohort own their principal 
        residences.
            (9) How many dependents that members of each cohort have.
            (10) The percentage of each cohort that achieves a 
        successful outcome for TAP, as determined under section 6(a)(7) 
        of this Act.
            (11) Other criteria the Secretaries and the Administrator 
        of the Small Business Administration determine appropriate.
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