S.Amdt. 4678

SA 4678. Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mr. Bennet) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr.
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 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 appropriate place in title X, insert the following:

SEC. ___. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES STUDY ON
OPPORTUNITIES FOR USE OF VETERANS EDUCATIONAL
ASSISTANCE TO PURSUE CAREERS IN OUTDOOR
RECREATION.

(a) Study Required.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study on the use by veterans of
educational assistance provided under laws administered by
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pursue careers in
outdoor recreation.
(b) Elements.--The study required by subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) Identification of opportunities for veterans to use
educational assistance provided under laws administered by
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pursue careers in
outdoor recreation in the private sector and in the public
sector.
(2) Identification of any difficulties with using the
educational assistance provided under laws administered by
the Secretary to veterans to pursue careers in outdoor
recreation in the private and public sector, including
trained, apprentice, assistant, and certified guides.
(3) Assessment of the availability of opportunities for
careers in outdoor recreation at the following:
(A) The Department of Agriculture.
(B) The Department of the Interior.
(C) The Army Corps of Engineers.
(D) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(4) Identification of any challenges veterans may have
pursuing careers in outdoor recreation at the agencies list
under paragraph (3).
(5) Identification of options to increase opportunities for
veterans to pursue careers in outdoor recreation at the
agencies listed under paragraph (3).
(c) Stakeholder Perspectives.--In conducting the study
required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall
obtain the perspectives of the outdoor recreation industry,
veterans groups focusing on the outdoors, nongovernmental
organizations, and other interested stakeholders.
(d) Briefing and Report.--
(1) Briefing.--Not later than 240 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall
provide the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a briefing on the study required by
subsection (a).
(2) Report.--After providing the briefing required by
paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall submit to the
committees described in such paragraph a report on the
findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the study
completed under subsection (a).
(e) Outdoor Recreation Defined.--In this section, the term
``outdoor recreation'' means recreational activities
undertaken for pleasure that--
(1) generally involve some level of intentional physical
exertion; and
(2) occur in nature-based environments outdoors.
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