Amendment ID: S1878-12

Amendment 12

Veterans’ Employment and Business Assistance

Mr. Tarr moves to amend the bill in Section 30 by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following:

(c) The commission shall: (i) examine and report on barriers to employment facing returning veterans; (ii) examine barriers to starting a veteran-owned business or nonprofit; (iii) identify opportunities to promote the development of business enterprises and non-profit organizations owned and operated by veterans; (iv) examine relationships that can be enhanced between state agencies and private sector employers to promote private sector awareness of barriers to veteran employment and potential benefits of hiring veterans; (v) study the feasibility of state-level veteran career counseling and training options to include coordination with one-stop career centers and all outreach programs and initiatives relative to veterans’ employment services in the commonwealth; (vi) examine outreach programs and initiatives relative to employment services to veterans in the commonwealth as well as a demographic and geographic analyses of the veteran population seeking services through the division of career services; (vii) identify opportunities to maximize revenues aimed at accomplishing the goals in this section, including, but not limited to, the availability of federal grants and matching funds; and (viii) develop and implement an action plan to address the needs and deficiencies of underserved geographic locations in need of greater veteran outreach efforts.

Said examination shall include, but not be limited to: (i) a report on the number of veterans residing in each municipality in the commonwealth; (ii) a report on the number of veterans actively seeking employment services in each community; (iii) coordinating with local, state and federal entities to estimate the number of veterans in each community currently unemployed or under-employed; and (iv) determining the geographic location of each local veteran employment representative assigned to career centers or other employment outreach locations throughout the commonwealth. This examination shall include an assessment of staffing levels, funding levels and outreach efforts performed by local veteran employment representatives, as well as, a projection of underserved geographic locations in need of greater veteran outreach efforts.

Moves to further amend in said Section 30 subsection (e) by inserting in line 112 after the word “study” the following words:- “and the action plan as developed in subsection (c) (viii)”