[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6115. Ms. ERNST (for herself and Mr. Kelly) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for
himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R.
7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 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 end of subtitle E of title V, add the following:
SEC. 564. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW OF USE OF
TRANSITION PROGRAMS BY MEMBERS OF SPECIAL
OPERATIONS FORCES.
(a) Review.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall review the use of Department of Defense transition
programs by members of the Armed Forces assigned to special
operations forces.
(b) Preliminary Briefing and Report.--Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General shall provide to the appropriate
committees of Congress a briefing and report on the
preliminary findings of the review conducted under subsection
(a).
(c) Final Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall
provide to the appropriate committees of Congress a briefing
on the final results of the review conducted under subsection
(a).
(d) Final Report.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing
the final results of the review conducted under subsection
(a) on a date agreed to at the time of the briefing provided
under subsection (b).
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include an examination of the following:
(A) The extent to which members of the Armed Forces
assigned to special operations forces participate in
Department of Defense transition programs.
(B) What unique challenges those members face in making the
transition to civilian life and the extent to which existing
Department of Defense transition programs address those
challenges.
(C) The extent to which the Secretary of Defense directs
those members to transition resources provided by
nongovernmental entities.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Department of defense transition programs.--The term
``Department of Defense transition programs'' means programs
(including the Transition Assistance Program and Skillbridge)
carried out under laws administered by the Secretary of
Defense that help members of the Armed Forces make the
transition to civilian life.
(3) Skillbridge.--The term ``Skillbridge'' means the
programs to provide job training and employment skills
training carried out under section 1143(e) of title 10,
United States Code.
(4) Special operation forces.--The term ``special
operations forces'' means the forces described in section
167(j) of title 10, United States Code.
(5) Transition assistance program.--The term ``Transition
Assistance Program'' means the program of preseparation
counseling, employment assistance, and other transitional
services provided under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10,
United States Code.
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