[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6557 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6557

To direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to 
     conduct a study on certain grace periods under the Transition 
            Assistance Program of the Department of Defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 1, 2023

  Mr. Neguse introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to 
     conduct a study on certain grace periods under the Transition 
            Assistance Program of the Department of Defense.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. STUDY AND REPORT ON GRACE PERIODS UNDER TRANSITION 
              ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) Study.--The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness, in coordination with the heads of other Federal agencies the 
Under Secretary determines appropriate, shall conduct a comprehensive 
study on reforms to grace periods under TAP. Such study shall include 
the following:
            (1) An assessment of the impact of unit tasking on the 
        ability of a covered member to transition to civilian life.
            (2) A review, disaggregated by military department, of 
        current practices regarding unit tasking during TAP.
            (3) An analysis of each challenge a covered member faces 
        when balancing duty assignments with the requirements to 
        participate in TAP.
            (4) An assessment of such grace periods that allow for 
        unplanned periods of leave, temporary duty, deployments, or 
        other periods when a covered member is unavailable to 
        participate in TAP.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate a report that includes the following:
            (1) The findings and conclusions of the Under Secretary 
        based on the study under subsection (a).
            (2) The recommendations of the Under Secretary whether to 
        reform such grace periods.
            (3) The recommendation of the Under Secretary whether a 
        member of an Armed Force, while a covered member, may receive 
        orders only from the command post or headquarters of the unit 
        to which such member is assigned.
            (4) A comprehensive plan, including proposed timelines, 
        milestones, and resources the Under Secretary determines 
        necessary, to implement such recommendations.
            (5) Any other information or recommendation the Under 
        Secretary determines--
                    (A) appropriate;
                    (B) would improve TAP; or
                    (C) would facilitate a successful transition to 
                civilian life for a covered member.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``covered member'' means a member 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 ``unit tasking'' means a defined and 
        measurable activity assigned to a unit of an Armed Force by the 
        command post or headquarters of such unit.
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