[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5014 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5014

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
   report on the Warrior Training Advancement Course, to direct the 
   Secretary of Agriculture to administer a pilot program to employ 
  veterans in positions that relate to agriculture, conservation, and 
 nutrition activities of the Department of Agriculture, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 2023

     Mr. Landsman (for himself, Mr. Miller of Ohio, and Mr. Levin) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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 direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
   report on the Warrior Training Advancement Course, to direct the 
   Secretary of Agriculture to administer a pilot program to employ 
  veterans in positions that relate to agriculture, conservation, and 
 nutrition activities of the Department of Agriculture, 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 ``Employing Veterans to Feed America 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORTING ON THE WARRIOR TRAINING ADVANCEMENT COURSE OF THE 
              VETERANS BENEFIT ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Reports Required.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than six months after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of 
        the Senate and House of Representatives a report on WARTAC.
            (2) Annual report.--One year after the submission under 
        paragraph (1) and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
        submit to such Committees a report that contains the elements 
        under paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) with regards to 
        the preceding year.
    (b) Elements.--Subject to subsection (a)(2), the reports under this 
section shall include the following elements:
            (1) Best practices.--With regards to best practices of 
        WARTAC--
                    (A) how many covered members have applied to 
                participate in WARTAC;
                    (B) how many covered members have participated in 
                WARTAC;
                    (C) how the Secretary provides training to covered 
                members during TAP;
                    (D) how many covered members have completed WARTAC; 
                and
                    (E) any other information the Secretary determines 
                appropriate.
            (2) Cost savings.--With regards to cost savings of WARTAC--
                    (A) how much money the Secretary determines WARTAC 
                saves the United States each fiscal year;
                    (B) how much money the Secretary determines WARTAC 
                has saved the United States since its establishment; 
                and
                    (C) the determination of the Secretary whether 
                other Federal agencies may save money by establishing a 
                program similar to WARTAC.
            (3) Hiring.--With regards to hiring covered members who 
        complete WARTAC--
                    (A) how the Secretary identifies positions in the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs for which such covered 
                members may qualify;
                    (B) the grades of such positions on the General 
                Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States 
                Code; and
                    (C) how many such covered members the Secretary has 
                hired to such positions.
    (c) Distribution.--Not later than 30 days after submitting the 
report under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
transmit a copy of the report under this section to each head of a 
Federal agency.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``covered member'' means members of the Armed 
        Forces participating in TAP.
            (2) The term ``TAP'' means the Transition Assistance 
        Program of the Department of Defense under sections 1142 and 
        1144 of title 10, United States Code.
            (3) The term ``WARTAC'' means the Warrior Training 
        Advancement Course of the Veterans Benefit Administration, in 
        which the Secretary provides training to covered members so 
        such covered members may qualify for certain employment in the 
        Veterans Benefit Administration.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM TO EMPLOY VETERANS IN POSITIONS RELATING TO 
              AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION, AND NUTRITION ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Best Practices for Other Departments.--The Assistant Secretary 
of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish guidelines 
containing best practices for departments and agencies of the Federal 
Government that carry out programs to employ veterans who are 
transitioning from service in the Armed Forces. Such guidelines shall 
include the findings of the report required under section 2.
    (b) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Agriculture, in 
        consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
        Veterans' Employment and Training and the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs, shall establish a pilot program under which veterans 
        are employed by the Federal Government in positions that relate 
        to the agriculture, conservation, and nutrition activities of 
        the Department of Agriculture.
            (2) Positions.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall--
                    (A) identify vacant positions in the Department of 
                Agriculture that are appropriate to fill using the 
                pilot program established under paragraph (1); and
                    (B) to the extent practicable, fill such positions 
                using the pilot program.
            (3) Application of civil service laws.--A veteran employed 
        under the pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall 
        be treated as an employee as defined by section 2105 of title 
        5, United States Code.
            (4) Briefings and reports.--
                    (A) Initial briefing.--Not later than 60 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
                Agriculture and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
                Veterans' Employment and Training shall jointly provide 
                to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing 
                on the pilot program established under paragraph (1), 
                including--
                            (i) a description of how the pilot program 
                        will be carried out in a manner to reduce the 
                        unemployment of veterans; and
                            (ii) any recommendations for legislative 
                        actions to improve the pilot program.
                    (B) Implementation briefing.--Not later than one 
                year after the date on which the pilot program 
                established under paragraph (1) commences, the 
                Secretary of Agriculture and the Assistant Secretary of 
                Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training shall 
                jointly provide to the appropriate congressional 
                committees a briefing on the implementation of the 
                pilot program.
                    (C) Final report.--Not later than 30 days after the 
                date on which the pilot program established under 
                paragraph (1) is completed, the Secretary of 
                Agriculture and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
                Veterans' Employment and Training shall jointly submit 
                to the appropriate congressional committees a report on 
                the pilot program that includes the following:
                            (i) The number of veterans who applied to 
                        participate in the pilot program.
                            (ii) The number of such veterans employed 
                        under the pilot program.
                            (iii) The number of veterans identified in 
                        clause (ii) who transitioned to full-time 
                        positions with the Federal Government after 
                        participating in the pilot program.
                            (iv) Any other information the Secretary 
                        and the Assistant Secretary determine 
                        appropriate with respect to measuring the 
                        effectiveness of the pilot program.
            (5) Duration.--The authority to carry out a pilot program 
        under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is two 
        years after the date on which the pilot program commences.
    (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
        Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
        Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
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