Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William ``bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2326, as amended, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William ``Bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019.

I would like to recognize the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee chairman and ranking member, Mr. Levin and Mr. Bilirakis, for their bipartisan focus on this issue, and the bipartisan way in which they have crafted this piece of legislation and have moved it forward.

Almost 30 years ago, the National Defense Authorization Act created the first transition policy to assist servicemembers entering civilian life. This law provides that those who are being separated from Active Duty are provided services for counseling, training opportunities, finding employment, and other related information and services.

These services, more commonly known as the Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, were amended recently by the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This legislation called for mandatory participation of all servicemembers and improved transition resources by lengthening the process and lowering the class sizes.

While our veterans have found the TAP program to be highly beneficial, they find the sheer amount of information too overwhelming to absorb. Today, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2326, as amended, which aims to solve this problem.

This legislation would do several things to make TAP more effective.

First, this act would create a pilot program offering transition training off military bases, making the transition process easier to access for veterans and spouses. A review by the Government Accountability Office concluded that a program held off base would be beneficial, and the committee believes that such a program is worth examining in further detail.

In my own visits to TAP classes, I heard from servicemembers who felt they needed to attend TAP multiple times before they transition to civilian life because the resources aren't available off base. The legislation would create a grant program for organizations to provide multiple transition assistance services such as resume assistance, interview training, and job recruitment training from one program, location, and source.

Next, this act would give the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service and VA access to the Social Security Administration's resources to track in real time when a participant receives a new job. This is going to help improve programs and provide a better accountability of services provided by the VA.

Lastly, this bill would require a 1-year independent assessment of the effectiveness of TAP, as well as a 5-year longitudinal study of TAP which compares the effectiveness of using the program.

The 1-year independent assessment of the Transition Assistance Program's effectiveness shall be conducted not later than 90 days after the enactment of this act. The legislation requires the VA enter into an agreement with an entity with experience in adult education to carry out an independent assessment of TAP.

It also requires the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Small Business Administration to conduct a 5-year longitudinal study of TAP to determine the need for TAP off base and determine if this program would ease the process of participation for servicemembers, veterans, and spouses who may have had difficulty attending classes on bases.

Upon completion of the respective 1-year and 5-year studies, the Secretary of the VA shall submit the findings to Congress, where we can, again, assess the quality of transition resources provided to veterans and servicemembers.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, let me say that I extend my commendations to the work of my colleague from Texas (Mr. Arrington). I thank him also for naming the bill after such a distinguished warrior and someone who exemplifies the need for this legislation. We certainly wish Chief Petty Officer Navy SEAL Bill Mulder all the success in the world.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, before I begin my closing comments, I want to correct my remarks. I misunderstood. Chief Petty Officer Bill Mulder is deceased, and so I mean no disrespect to his family. We certainly are honored to have this piece of legislation carry his name in the hopes that it is going to serve many more veterans.

In his memory, I am most honored and privileged to make sure that this legislation passes.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Levin and Mr. Bilirakis for these necessary improvements to the Transition Assistance Program. A testament to their work is the broad support they received from committee members on this bill, and I look forward to their future work on this as they continue to focus on and redefine the program.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2326, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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