[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 5, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 783. Mr. SCHATZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. PARTICIPATION OF VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS IN 
                   TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary 
     of Labor, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should establish a process by 
     which a representative of a veterans service organization may 
     be present at any portion of the program carried out under 
     section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, relating to the 
     submittal of claims to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for 
     compensation under chapter 11 or 13 of title 38, United 
     States Code.
       (b) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 540 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to Congress a report on participation of veterans 
     service organizations in the program carried out under 
     section 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
       (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following:
       (A) An assessment of the compliance of facilities of the 
     Department of Defense with the directives included in the 
     memorandum of the Secretary of Defense entitled 
     ``Installation Access and Support Services for Nonprofit Non-
     Federal Entities'' and dated December 23, 2014.
       (B) The number of military bases that have complied with 
     such directives.
       (C) How many veterans service organizations have been 
     present at a portion of a program as described in paragraph 
     (1).
       (3) Veterans service organization defined.--In this 
     subsection, the term ``veterans service organization'' means 
     any organization recognized by the Secretary for the 
     representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38.
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