Requires any Federal personal property and nonpersonal services procurement contract of $100,000 or more to contain a provision requiring the contractor to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment disabled veterans, veterans who served on active duty during a war or campaign for which a campaign badge has been authorized, recently separated veterans (within three years), and veterans who, while serving on active duty, participated in a military operation for which a service medal was awarded.
Entitles qualified veterans to recruitment appointments in the Federal Government at any time.
(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary (acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training), in carrying out a program of performance incentive awards, to establish criteria for such programs to be administered by States to: (1) encourage the improvement and modernization of veterans' employment, training, and placement services; and(2) recognize employees for excellence in the provision of such services. Allows such awards to be cash or nonfinancial awards. Makes eligible for such awards disabled veterans' outreach program specialists, local veterans' employment representatives, and individuals providing employment, training, and placement services to veterans under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or through an employment service delivery system.
(Sec. 4) Requires the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training to formulate and implement (currently, to advise the Secretary with respect to formulation and implementation of) all Department procedures and policies with respect to veterans' employment and training, the employment and reemployment rights of military personnel, and all other Department employment, unemployment, and training programs that affect veterans. Removes the requirement that such Assistant Secretary, as well as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training, be veterans.
Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a comprehensive performance accountability system and carry out annual performance reviews with respect to the provision of veterans' employment, training, and placement services.
Requires a State to submit an application for a grant or contract for the provision of services of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and local veterans' employment representatives. Directs the Secretary to make available to each State with an approved application an amount of funding in proportion to the number of veterans seeking employment. Requires corrective action plans from participating States which have an entered-employment rate for veterans that is deficient for the preceding program. Requires each award recipient to annually notify the Secretary of each non-veteran who is employed as a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist and local veterans' employment representative for more than six months. Directs each State to coordinate all such services provided to veterans and other eligible persons with such services furnished under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Wagner-Peyser Act.
Requires, with respect to program years beginning during or after FY 2004, that one percent of the funds made available to a State for veterans' employment, training, and placement services be used for the performance incentive awards program.
Requires the Assistant Secretary to establish and implement a comprehensive performance accountability system to measure the performance of employment service delivery systems. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to States experiencing deficient entered-employment rates with respect to a program year.
Removes the requirement that the Secretary also assign to each State one Assistant Director for Veterans' Employment and Training for every 250,000 veterans and eligible persons and such additional Assistant Directors as the Secretary determines to be necessary. Allows the Secretary to assign appropriate supervisory personnel to carry out veterans' employment, training, and placement services.
Requires: (1) States to employ a sufficient number of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and local veterans' employment representatives (current law specifies 7400 specialists and 1600 representatives); and (2) such representatives to report at least quarterly regarding Federal law compliance with respect to special services and priorities for eligible veterans and persons. Repeals standards for the performance of such specialists and representatives.
Requires States to employ qualified veterans or eligible persons to carry out veterans' employment, training, and placement services.
Directs the Secretary to provide one-stop services and assistance to covered persons electronically via the Internet and other electronic means.
(Sec. 5) Includes intensive services under authorized veterans' employment and training services.
Requires information concerning other eligible persons (currently, only Vietnam veterans), recently separated veterans, and service members making the transition to civilian careers to be included in an annual veterans' employment report by the Secretary. Requires additional reports concerning: (1) the program of performance incentive awards for quality veterans' employment services; and (2) the performance of States, organizations, and entities carrying out veterans' employment, training, and placement services.
(Sec. 6) Establishes within the Department of Labor the President's National Hire Veterans Committee to take certain actions to facilitate the employment of veterans and disabled veterans. Requires reports, from 2003 through 2005, from the Committee to Congress on its activities, including veterans' job placement and retention achieved. Terminates the Committee 60 days after its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 7) Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the implementation of the provisions of this Act during the program years beginning during FY 2003 and 2004.