What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress about the Warrior Training Advancement Course (WARTAC), which trains military members leaving service for jobs at the Veterans Benefit Administration. The bill also directs the Secretary of the Interior to start a pilot program that hires veterans for conservation and resource management jobs within the Department of the Interior.
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Who It Affects
• Military members participating in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP, a Defense Department program for service members leaving the military)
• The Department of Veterans Affairs
• The Department of the Interior
• The Department of Labor
• Congress
• Other federal agencies
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Key Provisions
• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must submit an initial report on WARTAC within six months of the bill becoming law, then submit annual reports afterward, including information about how many military members apply to and complete the training program (Sec. 2(a))
• The reports must include details on WARTAC's cost savings to the government and whether other federal agencies could save money by creating similar programs (Sec. 2(b)(2))
• The Secretary of the Interior must establish a pilot program to employ veterans in positions related to conservation and resource management activities, and must identify vacant positions appropriate for this program (Sec. 3(b))
• The Secretary of the Interior and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training must provide Congress with a briefing on the pilot program within 60 days of the bill becoming law, and must submit a final report within 30 days after the program ends (Sec. 3(b)(4))
• The pilot program ends two years after it begins (Sec. 3(b)(5))
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government will begin collecting and reporting detailed information about WARTAC's effectiveness and cost savings. The Department of the Interior will launch a new two-year pilot program to hire veterans for conservation and resource management positions instead of filling those jobs through standard hiring methods.
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Important Definitions
• "Covered member" means military members participating in the Transition Assistance Program (Sec. 2(d)(1))
• "TAP" means the Transition Assistance Program run by the Department of Defense (Sec. 2(d)(2))
• "WARTAC" means the Warrior Training Advancement Course of the Veterans Benefit Administration, where the Secretary trains military members so they can qualify for certain Veterans Benefit Administration jobs (Sec. 2(d)(3))
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1786
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report
on the Warrior Training Advancement Course, to direct the Secretary
of the Interior to administer a pilot program to employ veterans in
positions that relate to conservation and resource management activities
of the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 24, 2023
Mr. LEVIN (for himself and Mr. WITTMAN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to
Congress a report on the Warrior Training Advancement
Course, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to admin-
ister a pilot program to employ veterans in positions
that relate to conservation and resource management
activities of the Department of the Interior, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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•HR 1786 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Get Rewarding Out-
2
door Work for our Veterans Act’’ or the ‘‘GROW Act’’.
3
SEC. 2. REPORTING ON THE WARRIOR TRAINING ADVANCE-
4
MENT COURSE OF THE VETERANS BENEFIT
5
ADMINISTRATION.
6
(a) REPORTS REQUIRED.—
7
(1) INITIAL
REPORT.—Not later than six
8
months after the date of the enactment of this Act,
9
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the
10
Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and
11
House of Representatives a report on WARTAC.
12
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—One year after the sub-
13
mission under paragraph (1) and annually there-
14
after, the Secretary shall submit to such Committees
15
a report that contains the elements under para-
16
graphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) with regards to
17
the preceding year.
18
(b) ELEMENTS.—Subject to subsection (a)(2), the re-
19
ports under this section shall include the following ele-
20
ments:
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(1) BEST
PRACTICES.—With regards to best
22
practices of WARTAC—
23
(A) how many covered members have ap-
24
plied to participate in WARTAC;
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•HR 1786 IH
(B) how many covered members have par-
1
ticipated in WARTAC;
2
(C) how the Secretary provides training to
3
covered members during TAP;
4
(D) how many covered members have com-
5
pleted WARTAC; and
6
(E) any other information the Secretary
7
determines appropriate.
8
(2) COST SAVINGS.—With regards to cost sav-
9
ings of WARTAC—
10
(A) how much money the Secretary deter-
11
mines WARTAC saves the United States each
12
fiscal year;
13
(B) how much money the Secretary deter-
14
mines WARTAC has saved the United States
15
since its establishment; and
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(C) the determination of the Secretary
17
whether other Federal agencies may save money
18
by establishing a program similar to WARTAC.
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(3) HIRING.—With regards to hiring covered
20
members who complete WARTAC—
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(A) how the Secretary identifies positions
22
in the Department of Veterans Affairs for
23
which such covered members may qualify;
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•HR 1786 IH
(B) the grades of such positions on the
1
General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5,
2
United States Code; and
3
(C) how many such covered members the
4
Secretary has hired to such positions.
5
(c) DISTRIBUTION.—Not later than 30 days after
6
submitting the report under subsection (a)(1), the Sec-
7
retary of Veterans Affairs shall transmit a copy of the re-
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port under this section to each head of a Federal agency.
9
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
10
(1) The term ‘‘covered member’’ means mem-
11
bers of the Armed Forces participating in TAP.
12
(2) The term ‘‘TAP’’ means the Transition As-
13
sistance Program of the Department of Defense
14
under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United
15
States Code.
16
(3) The term ‘‘WARTAC’’ means the Warrior
17
Training Advancement Course of the Veterans Ben-
18
efit Administration, in which the Secretary provides
19
training to covered members so such covered mem-
20
bers may qualify for certain employment in the Vet-
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erans Benefit Administration.
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•HR 1786 IH
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM TO EMPLOY VETERANS IN POSI-
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TIONS RELATING TO CONSERVATION AND RE-
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SOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
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(a) BEST PRACTICES FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS.—
4
The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employ-
5
ment and Training, in consultation with the Secretary of
6
Veterans Affairs, shall establish guidelines containing best
7
practices for departments and agencies of the Federal
8
Government that carry out programs to employ veterans
9
who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces.
10
Such guidelines shall include the findings of the report re-
11
quired under section 2.
12
(b) PILOT PROGRAM.—
13
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the In-
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terior, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary
15
of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training
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and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish
17
a pilot program under which veterans are employed
18
by the Federal Government in positions that relate
19
to the conservation and resource management activi-
20
ties of the Department of the Interior.
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(2) POSITIONS.—The Secretary of the Interior
22
shall—
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(A) identify vacant positions in the De-
24
partment of the Interior that are appropriate to
25
fill using the pilot program; and
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•HR 1786 IH
(B) to the extent practicable, fill such posi-
1
tions using the pilot program.
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(3) APPLICATION OF CIVIL SERVICE LAWS.—A
3
veteran employed under the pilot program shall be
4
treated as an employee as defined by section 2105
5
of title 5, United States Code.
6
(4) BRIEFINGS AND REPORT.—
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(A) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 60
8
days after the date of the enactment of this
9
Act, the Secretary of the Interior and the As-
10
sistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Em-
11
ployment and Training shall jointly provide to
12
the appropriate congressional committees a
13
briefing on the pilot program under this sub-
14
section, which shall include—
15
(i) a description of how the pilot pro-
16
gram will be carried out in a manner to re-
17
duce the unemployment of veterans; and
18
(ii) any recommendations for legisla-
19
tive actions to improve the pilot program.
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(B)
IMPLEMENTATION
BRIEFING.—Not
21
later than one year after the date on which the
22
pilot program under subsection (a) commences,
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the Secretary of the Interior and the Assistant
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Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment
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•HR 1786 IH
and Training shall jointly provide to the appro-
1
priate congressional committees a briefing on
2
the implementation of the pilot program.
3
(C) FINAL
REPORT.—Not later than 30
4
days after the date on which the pilot program
5
under subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary
6
of the Interior and the Assistant Secretary of
7
Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training
8
shall jointly submit to the appropriate congres-
9
sional committees a report on the pilot program
10
that includes the following:
11
(i) The number of veterans who ap-
12
plied to participate in the pilot program.
13
(ii) The number of such veterans em-
14
ployed under the pilot program.
15
(iii) The number of veterans identified
16
in clause (ii) who transitioned to full-time
17
positions with the Federal Government
18
after participating in the pilot program.
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(iv) Any other information the Sec-
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retary and the Assistant Secretary deter-
21
mine appropriate with respect to meas-
22
uring the effectiveness of the pilot pro-
23
gram.
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•HR 1786 IH
(5) DURATION.—The authority to carry out the
1
pilot program under this subsection shall terminate
2
on the date that is two years after the date on which
3
the pilot program commences.
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(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
5
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
6
sional committees’’ means—
7
(1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the
8
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
9
Representatives; and
10
(2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the
11
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
12
Senate.
13
Æ
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