[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3905 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3905
To improve the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of
Defense, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 29, 2010
Mr. Bennet (for himself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of
Defense, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ENHANCEMENT OF TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Compulsory Participation in Program.--Effective not later than
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Defense shall ensure the following:
(1) That each member of the Armed Forces who is discharged,
released, or otherwise separated from the Armed Forces
participates in the Transition Assistance Program of the
Department of Defense.
(2) That the programs and services of the Transition
Assistance Program are accessible by all members of the
National Guard and the Reserves.
(b) Expansion of Services Under Program.--Effective not later than
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall ensure that the services provided by the Transition Assistance
Program include the following:
(1) Employment and training information targeted
specifically at the various military grades and at the various
military occupational specialties.
(2) Expanded emphasis on education benefits available to
former members of the Armed Forces, including educational
assistance under chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code
(commonly referred to as ``Post-9/11 educational assistance'').
(3) Enhanced information on the other benefits available to
former members of the Armed Forces through the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(4) Enhanced training on financial management.
(5) Dedicated computer training with TurboTap.org, the
VetSuccess Internet website, the USA Jobs Internet website, and
any other employment-related Internet websites the Secretary
considers appropriate, including, in particular, employment-
related Internet websites that focus on jobs for veterans.
(6) Dedicated training targeted specifically at members of
the National Guard and the Reserves, including training on
employment protections and other employment matters under
chapter 43 of title 38, United States Code (commonly referred
to as the ``Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act'').
(c) Reports.--
(1) Report required.--Not later than 6 months after the
date of the enactment of this Act, and every six months
thereafter for the following 18 months, the Secretary shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on
the status of the implementation of the requirements in
subsections (a) and (b).
(2) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation
with the Secretary of Labor, submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the Transition Assistance Program of the
Department of Defense.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include
the following:
(1) An analysis of the rates of employment of individuals
post-separation from the Armed Forces when compared with the
rates of employment of the general population annually since
September 11, 2001.
(2) A chronological summary of the evolution and
development of the Transition Assistance Program since
September 11, 2001.
(3) A description of efforts to transform the Transition
Assistance Program from an end-of-service transition model to a
life-cycle model, in which transition is considered throughout
the career of a member of the Armed Forces.
(4) An analysis of current and future challenges that
former members of the Armed Forces face upon entering the
civilian workforce, including a survey of the following to
identify strengths and shortcomings of the Transition
Assistance Program in meeting such challenges:
(A) A representational population of transitioning
or recently separated members of the Armed Forces.
(B) Employers with a history of employing retired
or separating members of the Armed Forces.
(C) Veterans service organizations and advocacy
groups.
(5) An assessment of whether the Transition Assistance
Program would be more effective if it were provided to members
of the Armed Forces earlier before separation.
(6) A description of various options for a so-called
``check-in'' mechanism under the Transition Assistance Program
in which former members contact the program three months after
separation to address questions, including through the use of
Internet-based programs.
(7) An assessment of the quality of trainers under the
Transition Assistance Program.
(8) An assessment of the success of marketing the
Transition Assistance Program to members of the Armed Forces.
(9) Such recommendations as the Secretary of Defense
considers appropriate, including recommendations for
legislative action, to improve the organization, policies,
consistency of quality, and efficacy of the Transition
Assistance Program.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Education and Labor of the House of Representatives.
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