[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       VETERAN SKILLS TO JOBS ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to Calendar No. 439, S. 2239.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2239) to direct the head of each agency to treat 
     relevant military training as sufficient to satisfy training 
     or certification requirements for Federal licenses.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with an amendment to strike all after the 
enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

                                S. 2239

       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 ``Veteran Skills to Jobs Act 
     of 2012''.

     [SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF RELEVANT MILITARY TRAINING AS 
                   SUFFICIENT TO SATISFY TRAINING OR CERTIFICATION 
                   REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL LICENSES.

       [The head of each agency (as defined under section 551 of 
     title 5, United States Code) shall deem an applicant for a 
     license issued by the agency who has received relevant 
     training while serving as a member of the Armed Forces, as 
     determined by the head of the agency, to have satisfied any 
     training or certification requirements for the license, 
     unless the head of the agency determines that the training 
     received by the applicant is substantially different from the 
     training or certification required for the license.]

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Skills to Jobs 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONSIDERATION OF RELEVANT MILITARY TRAINING FOR 
                   ISSUANCE OF A FEDERAL LICENSE.

       (a) In General.--The head of each Federal licensing 
     authority shall consider and may accept, in the case of any 
     individual applying for a license, any relevant training 
     received by such individual while serving as a member of the 
     armed forces, for the purpose of satisfying the requirements 
     for such license.
       (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this Act--
       (1) the term ``license'' means a license, certification, or 
     other grant of permission to engage in a particular activity;
       (2) the term ``Federal licensing authority'' means a 
     department, agency, or other entity of the Government having 
     authority to issue a license;
       (3) the term ``armed forces'' has the meaning given such 
     term by section 2101(2) of title 5, United States Code; and
       (4) the term ``Government'' means the Government of the 
     United States.

     SEC. 3. REGULATIONS.

       The head of each Federal licensing authority shall--
       (1) with respect to any license a licensing authority 
     grants or is empowered to grant as of the date of enactment 
     of this Act, prescribe any regulations necessary to carry out 
     this Act not later than 180 days after such date; and
       (2) with respect to any license of a licensing authority 
     not constituted or not empowered to grant the license as of 
     the date of enactment of this Act, prescribe any regulations 
     necessary to carry out this Act not later than 180 days after 
     the date on which the agency is so constituted or empowered, 
     as the case may be.

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, then be read a 
third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 2239), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

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