VALOR Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3949 allows multi-State apprenticeship programs to go through GI Bill approval in just the State that they are headquartered in, streamlining the approval process so that programs have a lower administrative hurdle to jump over before being able to provide training to veterans.

Currently, non-Federal apprenticeship programs that have locations in multiple States must go through the approval process with the State approving agency in each of the States where it operates before it can be approved for GI Bill benefits in that State.

In order to encourage more high-quality apprenticeship programs to obtain approval for GI Bill benefits so that they can serve more veterans, this bill would allow multi-State programs to simply seek approval from the State approving agency in the State where they are headquartered.

Once they have obtained the State's approval, the program will automatically be approved in all of the other States in which it operates.

We are encouraging apprenticeships. They are a great way for our veterans to use their earned benefits to get into well-paying, long- term careers. We should encourage more companies and industries to do that. This piece of legislation is smart and does that. In just a moment we will hear from one of the authors of it explaining how it will do that.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), who is not just a national voice, but a global voice on manufacturing entrepreneurism, and apprenticeships; and who is one of the authors of this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California and his coauthors.

Again, this is smart. He is leaning into this, bringing innovation. He came to the Veterans' Affairs Committee and looked at ways that we can streamline this process. It is a good piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 3949, yet another piece of bipartisan, commonsense legislation that will serve our veterans.

In the transition from deployment to employment, apprenticeship programs have proven to be extremely successful. Roughly 20,000 veterans are actively training or participating in these programs, and their employment outcomes are nothing short of impressive. According to VA's data, over 90 percent of veteran apprentices are employed after completing their programs with an average starting wage of over $60,000. Over their lifetime, apprentices see an increase in compensation of over $300,000 as compared to their peers.

These programs aren't just a win for our veterans, they are a win for taxpayers. Every dollar invested in apprenticeship programs sees a return in benefits of $35.

While it is clear to see the advantages of apprenticeship programs, like in many parts of VA, this program is hampered by needless burden and bureaucracy. Currently, private employers who offer these programs in more than one State have to register with each State individually. Burdened by the difficulty and trail of paperwork that this creates, many employers only choose to participate in a limited way or they just don't offer them altogether.

H.R. 3949, the Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform Act, or the VALOR Act, authored by my good friend and colleague, Congressman Ro Khanna, streamlines the registration process for employers, which, in turn, encourages them to participate and leads to more opportunities for our veterans.

Given the tremendous sacrifice our veterans have made for our country, we should do everything we can to ensure that they have access to good jobs, and the VALOR Act does just that.

I would like to thank Mr. Khanna again for his hard work and his leadership on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3949) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the designation of State approving agencies for multi-State apprenticeship programs for purposes of the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3949, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3949, as amended, the Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform Act, or the VALOR Act.

This bill, introduced by Mr. Khanna, Mr. Arrington, and Mr. O'Rourke, would help streamline the approval of national apprenticeship programs for the use of GI Bill funds, which is very important.

Once a national apprenticeship is GI Bill approved, veterans are eligible for tiered payments that help them complete the program that leads to a successful career.

This bill also helps eliminate an out-of-date requirement that created unnecessary paperwork for a veteran to complete before they could get paid for work completed during the apprenticeship.

Mr. Speaker, this is another commonsense, bipartisan bill that will help employers become approved under the GI Bill and ensure the student veterans secure placement in apprenticeship programs that lead to employment.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington.)

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Khanna and all the sponsors, including Chairman Arrington, as well, for recognizing the problem and solving it. This is the way Congress should work.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage support for this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 3949, the Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform (VALOR) Act. H.R. 3949 aims to increase access to apprenticeship training programs for veterans.

Currently, apprenticeship programs are registered state-by-state, creating a cumbersome paper trail and bureaucratic barriers to opening new programs. This legislation aims to streamline this registration process to ensure that veterans have access to as many apprenticeship training programs as possible.

It is crucial that returning veterans have the skills to join the workforce, and apprenticeship programs are a great way to ensure that these

heroic men and women are prepared to rejoin civilian life. H.R. 3949 will strengthen accessibility to these programs, which is why I am pleased to support this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3949, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.