[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7490 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7490
To require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to
establish a pilot program to identify and refer veterans for potential
employment with Federal land management agencies, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 29, 2024
Mr. Crane (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, and Mr.
Gosar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the
Committees on Natural Resources, and 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 require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to
establish a pilot program to identify and refer veterans for potential
employment with Federal land management agencies, 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 ``Hire Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON IDENTIFICATION, APPOINTMENT, OR REFERRAL OF
VETERANS FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH FEDERAL LAND
MANAGEMENT AGENCIES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate;
(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House
of Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House
of Representatives.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Personnel Management.
(3) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal
land management agency'' means--
(A) the Forest Service;
(B) the National Park Service;
(C) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
(D) the Bureau of Land Management; or
(E) the Bureau of Reclamation.
(4) Noncompetitive.--The term ``noncompetitive'', when used
with respect to an appointment, means an appointment made
without regard to subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United
States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title.
(5) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
pilot program established by the Director under subsection (b).
(6) Recognized postsecondary credential.--The term
``recognized postsecondary credential'' has the meaning given
the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(7) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given
the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director (in consultation with the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary
of Agriculture) shall establish a pilot program to recruit veterans
with relevant strengths and abilities and refer the veterans to
supervisory or nonsupervisory positions in Federal land management
agencies.
(c) Publication of Information Application.--
(1) Publication.--The Director shall publicize, and
disseminate information about, the pilot program on the website
of the Office of Personnel Management.
(2) Application.--A veteran seeking to participate in the
pilot program shall submit to the Director an application in
such form, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Director may require.
(d) Tests of Strengths and Abilities.--
(1) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director (in consultation with the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of the Interior,
and the Secretary of Agriculture) shall issue guidance on the
development of individual tests to be administered for the
purposes of the pilot program to determine the strengths and
abilities of veterans for positions in the following career
fields at Federal land management agencies:
(A) Outdoor recreation management.
(B) Management of volunteers.
(C) Fire planning and fire analysis.
(D) Firefighting.
(E) Aviation.
(F) Forest engineering.
(G) Inventory monitoring of land under the
management of a Federal land management agency.
(H) Landscape restoration.
(I) Ecology.
(J) Sustainability of ecosystems.
(K) Archeology.
(L) Range management.
(M) Analysis of geospatial data.
(N) Biology.
(O) Geology.
(P) Land use.
(Q) Physical sciences.
(R) Civil Engineering.
(S) Hydrology.
(T) Land surveying.
(U) Water reclamation.
(V) Finance, budget, and administration.
(2) Waiver.--For purposes of the pilot program, the
Director (in consultation with, as appropriate, the Secretary
of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior) may waive any
requirement for a recognized postsecondary credential for a
position in a career field described in paragraph (1), if the
Director determines that such a waiver is necessary.
(3) Administration.--The head of a Federal land management
agency shall--
(A) administer a test developed described in
paragraph (1) to each veteran who applies for
participation in the pilot program;
(B) develop assessments to measure the relative
capacity and fitness of veterans described in
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph for positions in the
career fields described in paragraph (1); and
(C) refer each veteran described in subparagraph
(A) to the official employment website of the Federal
Government.
(4) Management.--The Director (in consultation with the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs) shall develop a method to
oversee and manage the employment of veterans within Federal
land management agencies in positions in the career fields that
are covered by the pilot program.
(e) Appointment and Referral.--The head of a Federal land
management agency (in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs), with respect to a veteran who has taken a test administered
under subsection (d)(3)(A)--
(1) if the veteran has demonstrated through the test the
necessary strengths and abilities for a vacant supervisory or
nonsupervisory position in a career field covered by the pilot
program in the Federal land management agency, as determined by
the head of the Federal land management agency, may make a
noncompetitive career-conditional appointment of the veteran to
that vacant position; or
(2) if the veteran has not demonstrated through the test
the necessary strengths and abilities for a vacant supervisory
or nonsupervisory position in a career field covered by the
pilot program in the Federal land management agency, as
determined by the head of the Federal land management agency--
(A) shall refer the veteran to a recruiter of that
Federal land management agency for participation in a
training program that the agency shall establish for
the purposes of this section, which shall provide the
veteran with the strengths and abilities for a position
in such a career field;
(B) shall, after the participation by the veteran
in a training program described in subparagraph (A),
re-administer that test, for the purpose of re-
evaluation, to the veteran as frequently as the head of
the Federal land management agency determines
appropriate until the veteran demonstrates through the
test the necessary strengths and abilities; and
(C) may, if the veteran has demonstrated through
the test the necessary strengths and abilities, make a
noncompetitive career-conditional appointment of the
veteran to a position in such a career field.
(f) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter until the termination of the pilot
program, the Director (in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs and the heads of the Federal land management agencies) shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the pilot
program.
(g) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate on the date
that is 5 years after the date on which the Director establishes the
pilot program.
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