[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 143 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 143
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax credit to
encourage private employers to hire veterans, to amend title 38, United
States Code, to clarify the reasonable efforts an employer may make
under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
with respect to hiring veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 4, 2021
Ms. Jackson Lee introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax credit to
encourage private employers to hire veterans, to amend title 38, United
States Code, to clarify the reasonable efforts an employer may make
under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
with respect to hiring veterans, 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. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Helping to
Encourage Real Opportunity for Veterans Transitioning from Battlespace
to Workplace Act of 2021'' or the ``HERO Transition from Battlespace to
Workplace Act of 2021''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The majority of men and women transitioning from the
Armed Services to the civilian sector have experienced
difficulty in making the transition and regard their greatest
challenge to be finding a job that is meaningful to them even
though nearly 90 percent of them believe they have the general
skills needed to land their ideal job such as problem solving,
leadership, ethics, and time management and most believe they
possess specific marketable skills, such as information
technology, health care, mechanical, and aviation.
(2) Among the biggest challenges veterans face in securing
suitable employment in the civilian sector are: overcoming the
difficulty in translating to employers the value of the skills
they learned in the military; competing with candidates who
have been in the workforce longer; the perceived reluctance of
employers to hire due to concerns about multiple deployments or
military training and time commitments of the Reserve
Component; and fears of dealing with veterans' disabilities.
(3) Studies have shown that more than 80 percent of
veterans transitioning from military service to the civilian
sector regard employer-provided veteran support programs as
``critical'' or ``important'' to their success and believe it
is important for employers to provide flexible leave for the
health issues they face.
SEC. 2. TAX CREDIT FOR MILITARY RELATIONS MANAGERS.
(a) In General.--Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business-related
credits) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 45U. MILITARY RELATIONS MANAGER.
``(a) Allowance of Credit.--For purposes of section 38, in the case
of an employer, the military relations manager tax credit determined
under this section for a taxable year is an amount equal to $1,000
multiplied by the number of veterans--
``(1) who begin work for the employer in the taxable year
or preceding taxable year of the employer, and
``(2) with respect to whom a qualified military relations
manager is exercising the duties described in section
4303(17)(B) of title 38, United States Code.
``(b) Limitations.--
``(1) Maximum number of veterans per military relations
manager.--Not more than 25 veterans hired in a taxable year may
be taken into account under subsection (a) for each qualified
military relations manager.
``(2) Minimum service with employer.--A veteran may not be
taken into account for purposes of subsection (a) until the
veteran has provided continuous service for the employer for
the 8-month period beginning on the day the veteran first
begins work with the employer and with respect to whom the
qualified military relations manager is exercising the duties
described in section 4303(17)(B) of title 38, United States
Code.
``(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
``(1) Qualified military relations manager.--For purposes
of this section, the term `qualified military relations
manager' means, with respect to an employer, a military
relations manager with the qualities described in section
4303(17)(A) of title 38, United States Code, who has been
designated by the taxpayer to participate in the hiring process
and who carries out the duties described in section 4303(17)(B)
of such Code.
``(2) Veteran.--The term `veteran' has the meaning given
such term by section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code.
``(d) Aggregation Rule for Employer.--All persons treated as a
single employer for purposes of subsection (a) or (b) of section 52
shall be treated as one person for purposes of this section.
``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations
or other guidance as the Secretary determines necessary or appropriate
to carry out this section.''.
(b) Credit Made Part of General Business Credit.--Subsection (b) of
section 38 of such Code is amended--
(1) by striking ``plus'' at the end of paragraph (32),
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (33) and
inserting ``, plus'', and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(34) the military relations manager tax credit determined
under section 45U(a).''.
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart D of
part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding
at the end the following new item:
``Sec. 45U. Military Relations Manager.''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 3. HIRING OF VETERANS.
(a) Improvements to USERRA.--
(1) Reasonable efforts of employer.--Section 4303 of title
38, United States Code, is amended--
(A) in paragraph (10), by inserting before the
period at the end the following: ``, and may include
designating an employee as a military relations manager
and using the military skills translator database'';
and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
paragraphs:
``(17) The term `military relations manager' means an
individual employed by an employer--
``(A) who is an expert in--
``(i) the process of transitioning from
being a member of the Armed Forces to being a
civilian; and
``(ii) translating the skills, experience,
and training gained in the Armed Forces to
skills, experience, and training needed in the
private sector; and
``(B) whose duties include--
``(i) acting as a liaison between the
employer and individuals covered under this
chapter;
``(ii) assisting the human resources
personnel of the employer in evaluating
individuals covered under this chapter seeking
employment with the employer, including by
using the military skills translator database;
and
``(iii) serving as a mentor to individuals
covered under this chapter who are employees of
the employer.
``(18) The term `military skills translator database' means
the database that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs maintains
on a public Internet website to assist veterans, explain how
skills, experience, and training gained in the Armed Forces
relates to civilian skills, experiences, and training.''.
(2) Compliance.--Section 4322(d) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by adding after the period at the end the
following new sentence: ``Such compliance may include the
employer designating an employee to act as a military relations
manager and using the military skills translator database
maintained by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs when assessing
a person for initial employment.''.
(b) Military Skills Translator Database.--The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall--
(1) ensure that the military skills translator database (as
defined by section 4303(18) of title 38, United States Code, as
added by subsection (a)(1)(B)) may be used by civilian
employers to better understand the skills, experience, and
training of a veteran who seeks employment with the employer;
and
(2) conduct outreach to inform civilian employers of such
database.
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