[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14410-S14411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   VET CENTER ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 290, S. 716.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 716) to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
     enhance services provided by vet centers, to clarify and 
     improve the provision of bereavement counseling by the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 716) was read the third time and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 716

       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 ``Vet Center Enhancement Act 
     of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES OF VET CENTERS.

       (a) Additional Outreach Workers.--The Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall employ not more than 50 veterans of Operation 
     Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom for the purpose 
     of providing outreach to veterans on the availability of 
     readjustment counseling and related mental health services 
     for veterans under section 1712A of title 38, United States 
     Code.
       (b) Construction With Current Outreach Program.--The 
     veterans employed under subsection (a) are in addition to any 
     veterans employed by the Secretary for the purpose described 
     in that subsection under the February 2004 program of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs to provide outreach described 
     in that subsection.
       (c) Assignment to Vet Centers.--The Secretary may assign 
     any veteran employed under subsection (a) to any vet center 
     that the Secretary considers appropriate in order to meet the 
     purpose described in that subsection.
       (d) Inapplicability and Termination of Limitation on 
     Duration of Employment.--Any limitation on the duration of 
     employment of veterans under the program described in 
     subsection (b) is hereby terminated, and shall not apply to 
     veterans employed under such program or under this section.
       (e) Employment Status.--Veterans employed under subsection 
     (a) shall be employed in career conditional status, which is 
     the employment status in which veterans are employed under 
     the program described in subsection (b).
       (f) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Vet center.--The term ``vet center'' means a center for 
     the provision of readjustment counseling and related mental 
     health services under section 1712A of title 38, United 
     States Code.
       (2) Veteran of operation enduring freedom or operation 
     iraqi freedom.--The term ``veteran of Operation Enduring 
     Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom'' means any veteran who 
     served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during 
     Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.

     SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF BEREAVEMENT 
                   COUNSELING.

       (a) Clarification of Members of Immediate Family Eligible 
     for Counseling.--Subsection (b) of section 1783 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the members of the 
     immediate family of a member of the Armed Forces described in 
     paragraph (1) include the parents of such member.''.
       (b) Provision of Counseling Through Vet Centers.--Such 
     section is further amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and

[[Page S14411]]

       (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
     subsection (c):
       ``(c) Provision of Counseling Through Vet Centers.--
     Bereavement counseling may be provided under this section 
     through the facilities and personnel of centers for the 
     provision of readjustment counseling and related mental 
     health services under section 1712A of this title.''.

     SEC. 4. FUNDING FOR VET CENTER PROGRAM.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006, $180,000,000 for the 
     provision of readjustment counseling and related mental 
     health services through centers under section 1712A of title 
     38, United States Code, including for the discharge of the 
     requirements of this Act (and the amendments made by this 
     Act).

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