S.Amdt. 4529

SA 4529. Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Mr. Kaine) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 2943, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 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:

Strike section 562 and insert the following:

SEC. 562. MODIFICATION OF PROGRAM TO ASSIST MEMBERS OF THE
ARMED FORCES IN OBTAINING PROFESSIONAL
CREDENTIALS.

(a) Scope of Program.--Subsection (a)(1) of section 2015 of
title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking
``incident to the performance of their military duties''.
(b) Quality Assurance of Certification Programs and
Standards.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``under subsection (a) is
accredited by'' and all that follows and inserting ``under
subsection (a)--
``(A) is accredited by an accreditation body that meets the
requirements in paragraph (2); or
``(B) meets requirements in paragraph (3) or (4).''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(3) A credentialing program meets the requirements in
this paragraph if--
``(A) the program results in a recognized postsecondary
credential, including--
``(i) an industry recognized certificate or certification,
including a credential recognized by employers within an
industry or sector to meet employment requirements, or where
appropriate, a credential endorsed by a nationally-recognized
trade association or organization representing a significant
part of the industry or sector;
``(ii) a certificate of completion of a registered
apprenticeship; or
``(iii) a license recognized by a State or the Federal
Government; or
``(B) the credential granted by the program meets standards
established by a Federal agency.
``(4) A credentialing program meets the requirements in
this paragraph if the program is provided by an eligible
training provider under section 122 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113-128).''.
(c) Regulations.--Subsection (d)(3) of such section is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E);
and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new
subparagraph (D):
``(D) With respect to the provision of credentials under
this section that are accepted or preferred by employers
within an industry or sector, mechanisms to verify that--
``(i) such credentials are in fact required or preferred
for such employment (or advancement in such employment); and
``(ii) the provider of such credentialing programs meet
quality assurance criteria as the Secretary concerned, in
consultation with the Secretary of Labor, considers
appropriate necessary to safeguard the integrity of the
credentialing program and provide effective stewardship of
Federal resources.''.
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