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S. 1218: Empowering FED Vets Act

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S. 1218: Empowering FED Vets Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-05-24 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-215.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-05-24 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-215. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Empowering FED Vets Act

Plain summary

Empowering Federal Employment for Veterans Act of 2017 or the Empowering FED Vets Act This bill requires executive agencies to establish or maintain a Veterans Employment Program Office and designate a veterans employment official to: (1) enhance employment opportunities for veterans within the agency, (2) provide employment counseling and training programs to applicants to help match the skills and career aspirations of veterans to agency needs, (3) participate in agency career development programs to leverage those programs in matching veterans' career aspirations with high-growth occupations, and (4) provide mandatory annual training to human resources employees and hiring managers concerning veterans' employment. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shall: facilitate coordination among such officials; establish a Veterans Program Office to provide government-wide leadership in recruitment and employment of veterans in the executive branch; regularly convene such officials for working-level meetings to share information on best practices, prospective applicants, and strategies for matching veterans with appropriate employment; develop mandatory annual training on veterans' employment for agency human resources employees and hiring managers; develop a skills-based, cross-governmental career development program for agencies; promote the government as an employer of choice to transitioning members of the Armed Forces and veterans; market the talent, experience, and dedication of such members and veterans to agencies; and disseminate federal employment information to veterans and hiring officials. The bill establishes the Interagency Council on Veterans Employment, which shall: advise and assist the President and the OPM on matters relating to maintaining a coordinated government-wide effort to increase the number of veterans employed by the government in positions that match their skills and career aspirations by enhancing recruiting, hiring, retention, training and skills development, and job satisfaction; serve as a national forum for promoting employment opportunities for veterans in the executive branch; and establish performance measures to assess effectiveness. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall make appropriate modifications to its SkillBridge initiative to enable federal agencies to participate as employers and trainers.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Empowering FED Vets Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), James E. Risch (R-ID)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Ballot initiative
A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-s1218 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115