[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H3309-H3310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PROVIDING FOR A CORRECTION IN THE ENROLLMENT OF H.R. 244

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a concurrent 
resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in 
the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mitchell). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 53

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That in the enrollment of the bill H.R. 244, the 
     Clerk of the House of Representatives shall make the 
     following corrections:
       (1) Amend the long title so as to read: ``Making 
     appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, 
     and for other purposes''.
       (2) Strike the first section 1 immediately following the 
     enacting clause and all that follows through ``Sec. 4. 
     Display of Award''.
       (3) In the table of contents for the Consolidated 
     Appropriations Act, 2017, strike ``Division N--Honoring 
     Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military 
     Veterans Act of 2017'' and insert the following:

    DIVISION N--INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017

 DIVISION O--HONORING INVESTMENTS IN RECRUITING AND EMPLOYING AMERICAN 
                     MILITARY VETERANS ACT OF 2017

       (4) Insert immediately before ``It is unlawful for any 
     employer to publicly display a HIRE Vets Medallion Award'' 
     the following:

``DIVISION O--HONORING INVESTMENTS IN RECRUITING AND EMPLOYING AMERICAN 
                     MILITARY VETERANS ACT OF 2017

     ``SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       ``This division may be cited as the `Honoring Investments 
     in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 
     2017' or the `HIRE Vets Act'.

     ``SEC. 2. HIRE VETS MEDALLION AWARD PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Program Established.--Not later than 2 years after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor 
     shall establish, by rule, a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to 
     solicit voluntary information from employers for purposes of 
     recognizing, by means of an award to be designated a `HIRE 
     Vets Medallion Award', verified efforts by such employers--
       ``(1) to recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and
       ``(2) to provide community and charitable services 
     supporting the veteran community.
       ``(b) Application Process.--Beginning in the calendar year 
     following the calendar year in which the Secretary 
     establishes the program, the Secretary shall annually--
       ``(1) solicit and accept voluntary applications from 
     employers in order to consider whether those employers should 
     receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award;
       ``(2) review applications received in each calendar year; 
     and
       ``(3) notify such recipients of their awards; and
       ``(4) at a time to coincide with the annual commemoration 
     of Veterans Day--
       ``(A) announce the names of such recipients;
       ``(B) recognize such recipients through publication in the 
     Federal Register; and
       ``(C) issue to each such recipient--
       ``(i) a HIRE Vets Medallion Award of the level determined 
     under section 3; and
       ``(ii) a certificate stating that such employer is entitled 
     to display such HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
       ``(c) Timing.--
       ``(1) Solicitation period.--The Secretary shall solicit 
     applications not later than January 31st of each calendar 
     year for the Awards to be awarded in November of that 
     calendar year.
       ``(2) End of acceptance period.--The Secretary shall stop 
     accepting applications not earlier than April 30th of each 
     calendar year for the Awards to be awarded in November of 
     that calendar year.
       ``(3) Review period.--The Secretary shall finish reviewing 
     applications not later than August 31st of each calendar year 
     for the Awards to be awarded in November of that calendar 
     year.
       ``(4) Selection of recipients.--The Secretary shall select 
     the employers to receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not later 
     than September 30th of each calendar year for the Awards to 
     be awarded in November of that calendar year.
       ``(5) Notice to recipients.--The Secretary shall notify 
     employers who will receive HIRE Vets Medallion Awards not 
     later than October 11th of each calendar year for the Awards 
     to be awarded in November of that calendar year.
       ``(d) Limitation.--An employer who receives a HIRE Vets 
     Medallion Award for one calendar year is not eligible to 
     receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award for the subsequent 
     calendar year.

     ``SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.

       ``(a) Application Review Process.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall review all 
     applications received in a calendar year to determine whether 
     an employer should receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, and, 
     if so, of what level.
       ``(2) Application contents.--The Secretary shall require 
     that all applications provide information on the programs and 
     other efforts of applicant employers during the calendar year 
     prior to that in which the medallion is to be awarded, 
     including the categories and activities governing the level 
     of award for which the applicant is eligible under subsection 
     (b).
       ``(3) Verification.--The Secretary shall verify all 
     information provided in the applications, to the extent that 
     such information is relevant in determining whether or not an 
     employer should receive a HIRE Vets Medallion Award or in 
     determining the appropriate level of HIRE Vets Medallion 
     Award for that employer to receive, including by requiring 
     the chief executive officer or the chief human relations 
     officer of the employer to attest under penalty of perjury 
     that the employer has met the criteria described in 
     subsection (b) for a particular level of Award.
       ``(b) Awards.--
       ``(1) Large employers.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 2 levels 
     of HIRE Vets Medallion Awards to be awarded to employers 
     employing 500 or more employees, to be designated the `Gold 
     HIRE Vets Medallion Award' and the `Platinum HIRE Vets 
     Medallion Award'.
       ``(B) Gold hire vets medallion award.--No employer shall be 
     eligible to receive a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award in a 
     given calendar year unless--
       ``(i) veterans constitute not less than 7 percent of all 
     employees hired by such employer during the prior calendar 
     year;
       ``(ii) such employer has retained not less than 75 percent 
     of the veteran employees hired during the calendar year 
     preceding the preceding calendar year for a period of at 
     least 12 months from the date on which the employees were 
     hired;
       ``(iii) such employer has established an employee veteran 
     organization or resource group to assist new veteran 
     employees with integration, including coaching and mentoring; 
     and
       ``(iv) such employer has established programs to enhance 
     the leadership skills of veteran employees during their 
     employment.
       ``(C) Platinum hire vets medallion award.--No employer 
     shall be eligible to receive a Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion 
     Award in a given calendar year unless--
       ``(i) the employer meets all the requirements for 
     eligibility for a Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award under 
     subparagraph (B);
       ``(ii) veterans constitute not less than 10 percent of all 
     employees hired by such employer during the prior calendar 
     year;
       ``(iii) such employer has retained not less than 85 percent 
     of the veteran employees hired during the calendar year 
     preceding the preceding calendar year for a period of at 
     least 12 months from the date on which the employees were 
     hired;
       ``(iv) such employer employs dedicated human resources 
     professionals to support hiring and retention of veteran 
     employees, including efforts focused on veteran hiring and 
     training;
       ``(v) such employer provides each of its employees serving 
     on active duty in the United States National Guard or Reserve 
     with compensation sufficient, in combination with the 
     employee's active duty pay, to achieve a combined level of 
     income commensurate with the employee's salary prior to 
     undertaking active duty; and
       ``(vi) such employer has a tuition assistance program to 
     support veteran employees' attendance in postsecondary 
     education during the term of their employment.
       ``(D) Exemption for smaller employers.--An employer shall 
     be deemed to meet the requirements of subparagraph (C)(iv) if 
     such employer--
       ``(i) employs 5,000 or fewer employees; and
       ``(ii) employs at least one human resources professional 
     whose regular work duties include those described under 
     subparagraph (C)(iv).
       ``(E) Additional criteria.--The Secretary may provide, by 
     rule, additional criteria with which to determine 
     qualifications for receipt of each level of HIRE Vets 
     Medallion Award.
       ``(2) Small- and medium-sized employers.--The Secretary 
     shall establish similar awards in order to recognize 
     achievements in supporting veterans by--
       ``(A) employers with 50 or fewer employees; and
       ``(B) employers with more than 50 but fewer than 500 
     employees.
       ``(c) Design by Secretary.--The Secretary shall establish 
     the shape, form, and design of each HIRE Vets Medallion 
     Award, except that the Award shall be in the form of a 
     certificate and shall state the year for which it was 
     awarded.

[[Page H3310]]

  


     ``SEC. 4. DISPLAY OF AWARD.''.

       (5) In section 5(b) of division O, strike ``Act'' and 
     insert ``division''.
       (6) In section 6 of division O, strike ``Act'' and insert 
     ``division''.
       (7) In section 8 of division O, strike ``Act'' and insert 
     ``division''.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________