,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cgbf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #bi1 #bjbf,mr4 ,moran 7for himself and ,mr4 ,blumenthal7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to require the ,president to define veteran success and to develop and implement a ,national ,veterans ,strategy1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,national ,veterans ,strategy ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states for veterans to be successful after their service in the ,armed ,forces4 7#b7 ,veterans who are successful across various aspects of their lives after their service in the ,armed ,forces provide a continued return on investment to the ,united ,states for the time and resources spent on their training that made them successful in the ,armed ,forces4 7#c7 ,veterans bring highly valued skills to the civilian workforce1 including leadership1 problem-solving1 technical expertise1 and teamwork that make the economy of the ,united ,states stronger4 7#d7 ,veterans' success after service can include starting a business1 working in public service1 raising a family1 pursuing further education1 competing in athletics1 working to serve other veterans1 and improving overall health4 7#e7 ,the success of veterans enhances national security and military readiness4 ,demonstrating a lifelong commitment to those who serve strengthens recruitment1 retention1 and morale throughout the ,armed ,forces4 7#f7 ,a veteran who uses military experience and veteran benefits to achieve success after leaving service in the ,armed ,forces is a positive influence on the next generation of people of the ,united ,states who will consider serving in the ,armed ,forces4 #c4 ,defining veteran success and ,national ,veterans ,strategy 7a7 ,in general ,chapter ,i of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #abj4 ,defining veteran success and ,national ,veterans ,strategy 7a7 ,defining veteran success 7#a7 ,metrics required ,the ,president shall1 in collaboration with the key stakeholders described in paragraph 7#c71 establish metrics to determine the well-being of the population of veterans4 7#b7 ,areas ,the metrics established pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall apply to areas of physical health1 mental health1 spiritual health1 economic security and opportunity1 education1 family and social engagement1 and civic engagement4 7#c7 ,key stakeholders ,the key stakeholders described in this paragraph are such stakeholders as the ,president considers key stakeholders for purposes of this subsection and shall include the following3 7,a7 ,congress4 7,b7 ,the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense4 7,d7 ,the ,secretary of ,labor4 7,e7 ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7,f7 ,the ,secretary of ,housing and ,urban ,development4 7,g7 ,the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration4 7,h7 ,state governments4 7,i7 ,local governments4 7,j7 ,tribal organizations4 7,k7 ,veterans service organizations4 7,l7 ,nonprofit organizations that serve veterans4 7,m7 ,institutions of higher learning4 7,n7 ,research organizations with expertise on the veteran population4 7,o7 ,philanthropy associations4 7,p7 ,trade and professional associations4 7,q7 ,private sector companies1 including both large corporations and small business concerns4 7b7 ,national ,veterans ,strategy 7#a7 ,strategy required ,the ,president shall formulate and submit to ,congress1 not less frequently than once every four years1 a national strategy 7in this subsection referred to as the ,strategy7 to align the resources and efforts of various government1 nonprofit1 and private sector organizations to help veterans achieve success in the metrics established under subsection 7a77#a74 7#b7 ,consultation 7,a7 ,in general ,in formulating the ,strategy1 the ,president shall consult with the key stakeholders specified under subsection 7a77#c7 and the general public4 7,b7 ,public participation ,the ,president shall ensure that consultation under subparagraph 7,a7 includes public input through public hearings1 surveys1 or such other methods as the ,president considers appropriate to gather feedback from veterans1 families of veterans1 and the general public4 7#c7 ,consideration of needs across demographics ,the ,strategy shall include consideration of the various needs of veterans across demographics that include age1 geographic locations1 sex1 race1 period of military service1 disability1 health conditions1 education level1 and marital and family status4 7#d7 ,methods for evaluation of overall well-being ,the ,strategy shall provide for methods to evaluate overall well-being of veterans using the metrics established under subsection 7a77#a74 7#e7 ,direction for application of benefits and services ,the ,strategy shall-- 7,a7 provide direction for what benefits and services should be applied to assist veterans who do not meet the metrics established under subsection 7a77#a7 in certain areas of health and well-being2 and 7,b7 prescribe how and by whom such services and benefits should be applied to maximize effectiveness and efficiency across ,federal1 ,state1 local1 nonprofit1 and private sector resources4 7#f7 ,delineation of services provided to organizations ,the ,strategy may include delineation of what services should be provided by certain types of government or nongovernmental organizations1 as well as in what order different types of services or benefits should be provided to achieve the best result in the most efficient manner4 7#g7 ,direct services and ,federal grants ,the ,strategy may include considerations on how best to coordinate the use of both direct services provided by ,federal agencies1 as well as ,federal grants for ,state and local governments and nonprofit organizations1 or the use of commercial services1 to provide direct services to veterans4 7#h7 ,evaluation of outcomes 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,strategy shall include standard metrics to evaluate the outcomes achieved from delivering services and benefits to veterans4 7,b7 ,consistent and uniform application of metrics ,each ,federal agency and recipient of a ,federal grant1 as a condition on continued receipt of the grant1 shall apply the standard metrics included under subparagraph 7,a7 consistently and uniformly across programs4 7c7 ,congressional disapproval procedures 7#a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of this section1 the ,president may not take any action with regard to a national strategy developed under subsection 7b7 if1 within #fj days after the date on which ,congress receives a national strategy under such subsection1 ,congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving the national strategy4 7#b7 ,contents of resolution ,for the purpose of paragraph 7#a71 joint resolution means only a joint resolution introduced after the date on which the national strategy referred to in section 7b77#a7 is received by ,congress the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows3 ,that ,congress disapproves the ,national ,veterans ,strategy established by the ,president as submitted to ,congress on 7the blank space being appropriately filled in744 7#c7 ,referral to committee ,a resolution described in paragraph 7#b7 introduced in the ,house of ,representatives shall be referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4 ,a resolution described in paragraph 7#b7 introduced in the ,senate shall be referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate4 ,such a resolution may not be reported before the #hth day after its introduction4 7#d7 ,discharge of committee ,if the committee to which is referred a resolution described in paragraph 7#b7 has not reported such resolution 7or an identical resolution7 at the end of #ae calendar days after its introduction1 such committee shall be deemed to be discharged from further consideration of such resolution and such resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar of the ,house involved4 7#e7 ,floor consideration 7,a7 ,in general ,when the committee to which a resolution is referred has reported1 or has been deemed to be discharged 7under paragraph 7#d77 from further consideration of1 a resolution described in paragraph 7#b71 it is at any time thereafter in order 7even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to7 for any ,member of the respective ,house to move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution1 and all points of order against the resolution 7and against consideration of the resolution7 are waived4 ,the motion is highly privileged in the ,house of ,representatives and is privileged in the ,senate and is not debatable4 ,the motion is not subject to amendment1 or to a motion to postpone1 or to a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business4 ,a motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order4 ,if a motion to proceed to the consideration of the resolution is agreed to1 the resolution shall remain the unfinished business of the respective ,house until disposed of4 7,b7 ,debate ,debate on the resolution1 and on all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith1 shall be limited to not more than #aj hours1 which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the resolution4 ,a motion further to limit debate is in order and not debatable4 ,an amendment to1 or a motion to postpone1 or a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business1 or a motion to recommit the resolution is not in order4 ,a motion to reconsider the vote by which the resolution is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order4 7,c7 ,vote on final passage ,immediately following the conclusion of the debate on a resolution described in paragraph 7#b71 and a single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in accordance with the rules of the appropriate ,house1 the vote on final passage of the resolution shall occur4 7,d7 ,rulings of the chair on procedure ,appeals from the decisions of the ,chair relating to the application of the rules of the ,senate or the ,house of ,representatives1 as the case may be1 to the procedure relating to a resolution described in paragraph 7#b7 shall be decided without debate4 7#f7 ,coordination with action by other house ,if1 before the passage by one ,house of a resolution of that ,house described in paragraph 7#b71 that ,house receives from the other ,house a resolution described in paragraph 7#b71 then the following procedures shall apply3 7,a7 ,the resolution of the other ,house shall not be referred to a committee4 7,b7 ,with respect to a resolution described in paragraph 7#b7 of the ,house receiving the resolution-- 7i7 the procedure in that ,house shall be the same as if no resolution had been received from the other ,house2 but 7ii7 the vote on final passage shall be on the resolution of the other ,house4 7#g7 ,rules of house of representatives and senate ,this subsection is enacted by ,congress-- 7,a7 as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives1 respectively1 and as such it is deemed a part of the rules of each ,house1 respectively1 but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that ,house in the case of a resolution described in paragraph 7#b71 and it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules2 and 7,b7 with full recognition of the constitutional right of either ,house to change the rules 7so far as relating to the procedure of that ,house7 at any time1 in the same manner1 and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that ,house4 7d7 ,implementation of ,national ,veterans ,strategy 7#a7 ,federal1 ,state1 local1 nonprofit1 and private sector coordination ,except as provided in subsection 7c7 and not before the date that is #fj days after date on which the ,president submits to ,congress the ,strategy under subsection 7b77#a71 the ,president shall direct the heads of ,federal agencies to coordinate with ,state and local governments1 nonprofit organizations1 and the private sector to implement the ,strategy4 ,each head of a ,federal agency shall ensure that the agency aligns its resources1 services1 and initiatives with the objectives outlined in the ,strategy4 7#b7 ,incorporation into agency strategic plans ,each head of a ,federal agency shall1 as applicable1 incorporate the metrics established under subsection 7a77#a7 and the ,strategy into the strategic plan of the agency required by section #cjf of title #e4 7#c7 ,annual reporting 7,a7 ,in general ,not less frequently than once each year1 the ,president shall submit to ,congress an annual report detailing the implementation of the ,strategy1 including progress toward achieving the goals of the ,strategy in the areas specified in subsection 7a77#b74 7,b7 ,contents ,each report submitted pursuant to subparagraph 7,a7 shall include1 for the period covered by the report1 the following3 7i7 ,a review of the performance metrics developed under subsection 7a77#a74 7ii7 ,an assessment of spending pursuant to the ,strategy in each of the ,federal1 ,state1 local1 nonprofit1 and private sectors1 how such spending aligned with the objectives outlined in the ,strategy1 and identification of effective programs and best practices at the ,state and local levels that could be replicated in other jurisdictions4 7iii7 ,identification of barriers to success in implementing the ,strategy and recommendations for such legislative or administrative action for the various jurisdictional levels observed as the ,president considers appropriate to improve the well-being of the population of veterans4 7e7 ,quadrennial reviews 7#a7 ,in general ,not less frequently than once every four years1 the ,president shall-- 7,a7 review the national strategy formulated under subsection 7b77#a7 and the metrics established under subsection 7a77#a72 and 7,b7 as the ,president consider necessary1 update such national strategy and metrics4 7#b7 ,elements ,each review carried out under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,assessment of the effectiveness of initiatives carried out pursuant to the ,strategy4 7,b7 ,identification of challenges encountered by the ,federal ,government in carrying out the ,strategy4 7,c7 ,recommendations for legislative or administrative action to address the challenges identified pursuant to subparagraph 7,b74 7#c7 ,public participation ,the ,president shall ensure that each review under paragraph 7#a7 includes public input through public hearings1 surveys1 or other such other methods as the ,president considers appropriate to gather feedback from veterans1 families of veterans1 and the general public4 7f7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the ,federal ,government to carry out any program or policy that is inconsistent with any other provision of ,federal law1 including the elimination or rescission of any program1 benefit1 or service required by a provision of ,federal law4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,tribal organization ,the term ,tribal organization has the meaning given that term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#b7 ,nonprofit organization ,the term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code4 7#c7 ,veterans service organization ,the term veterans service organization means an organization recognized by the ,secretary for the representation of veterans under section #eijb of this title4 4 7b7 ,initial metrics ,not earlier than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act and not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall establish the metrics required by section #abj7;a77#a7 of such title1 as added by subsection 7a74 7c7 ,initial strategy ,not earlier than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act and not later than four years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall submit to ,congress the first strategy under section #abj7;b77#a7 of such title1 as added by subsection 7a74 7d7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of chapter #a of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #aai the following new item3 #abj4 ,defining veteran success and ,national ,veterans ,strategy4 4