S.Amdt. 529

SA 529. Ms. HARRIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2020 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 H of title V, add the following:

SEC. 594. DIRECT EMPLOYMENT PILOT PROGRAM FOR MEMBERS OF THE
NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE, VETERANS, THEIR
SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS, SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS
OF REGULAR MEMBERS, AND MEMBERS OF GOLD STAR
FAMILIES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a
pilot program to enhance the efforts of the Department of
Defense to provide job placement assistance and related
employment services directly to the following:
(1) Members of the National Guard and Reserves in reserve
active status.
(2) Veterans of the Armed Forces.
(3) Spouses and other dependents of individuals referred to
in paragraphs (1) and (2).
(4) Spouses and other dependents of regular members of the
Armed Forces.
(5) Members of Gold Star Families.
(b) Administration.--The pilot program shall be offered to,
and administered by, the adjutants general appointed under
section 314 of title 32, United States Code, or other
officials in the States concerned designated by the Secretary
for purposes of the pilot program.
(c) Funding.--
(1) Cost-sharing requirement.--As a condition on the
provision of funds under this section to a State to support
the operation of the pilot program in the State, the State
must agree to contribute an amount, derived from non-Federal
sources, equal to at least 50 percent of the funds provided
by the Secretary to the State under this section.
(2) Federal funds.--Amounts for funds provided for the
pilot program by the Secretary shall be derived from the
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program administered by the
Department of Defense.
(d) Direct Employment Program Model.--The pilot program
should follow a job placement program model that focuses

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on working one-on-one with individuals specified in
subsection (a) to cost-effectively provide job placement
services, including services such as identifying unemployed
and underemployed individuals, job matching services, resume
editing, interview preparation, and post-employment follow
up. Development of the pilot program should be informed by
existing State direct employment programs for members of the
reserve components and veterans.
(e) Training.--The pilot program should draw on the
resources provided to transitioning members of the Armed
Forces with civilian training opportunities through the
SkillBridge transition training program administered by the
Department of Defense.
(f) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall develop outcome
measurements to evaluate the success of the pilot program.
(g) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) Report required.--Not later than March 1, 2021, the
Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional
defense committees a report describing the results of the
pilot program. The Secretary shall prepare the report in
coordination with the Secretary of Labor and the Chief of the
National Guard Bureau.
(2) Elements of report.--A report under paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A description and assessment of the effectiveness and
achievements of the pilot program, including the number of
members of the reserve components and veterans of the Armed
Forces hired and the cost-per-placement of participating
members and veterans.
(B) An assessment of the impact of the pilot program and
increased reserve component employment levels on the
readiness of members of the reserve components and on the
retention of members of the Armed Forces.
(C) A comparison of the pilot program to other programs
conducted by the Department of Defense and Department of
Veterans Affairs to provide unemployment and underemployment
support to members of the reserve components and veterans of
the Armed Forces, including the best practices developed
through and used in such programs.
(D) Any other matters considered appropriate by the
Secretary of Defense.
(h) Duration of Authority.--The authority to carry out the
pilot program expires on September 30, 2023, except that the
Secretary may, at the Secretary's discretion, extend the
pilot program for not more than two additional fiscal years.
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