Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2016 or the HIRE Vets Act
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Labor to establish a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to solicit voluntary information from employers for purposes of recognizing, by the award of a HIRE Vets Medallion, verified efforts by these employers to: (1) recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and (2) provide community and charitable services supporting the veteran community.
Labor shall annually: (1) solicit voluntary medallion applications from employers, and (2) review applications and present the President with a list of recipients.
The President shall annually present the medallion and corresponding certificate to recipients at a time to coincide with the annual commemoration of Veterans Day.
Labor shall begin soliciting applications by January 31, stop accepting applications not earlier than April 30, and finish application review by August 31. The President shall notify chosen applicants no later than October 11. Medallions shall be awarded in November.
(Sec. 3) Labor shall establish two levels of medallions for large and small employers, to be designated the Gold HIRE Vets Medallion and the Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion. The bill prescribes awards criteria.
(Sec. 4) A recipient: (1) may publicly display the medallion and certificate through the end of the calendar year, and (2) may not publicly display the award as part of any advertisement implying receipt of the award for any calendar year other than the one in which it was awarded.
(Sec. 5) The bill establishes the HIRE Vets Medallion Award Fund.
Labor may assess a reasonable medallion application fee and shall deposit such fees into the fund.
(Sec. 6) Beginning two years after enactment of this bill, Labor shall submit annual reports on fees, program costs, the number of applications, and the medallions awarded, including the name and medallion level of each recipient.
(Sec. 7) The bill excludes from the definition of "employer" the federal government, any state, or any foreign state.