House Tees Up Vote on CBP Veteran Hiring Bill Passed by Senate
The House is set to vote on legislation, HR-2835 (here), to boost CBP hiring of military veterans on Sept. 28, roughly three weeks after the Senate gave the go-ahead on a nearly-identical bill. The House will hold the vote under suspended rules, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a Sept. 25 memo. House leadership uses suspended rules only for legislation doesn't face opposition.
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The Senate passed a companion bill, S-1603 (here), on Sept. 9 with a similar legislative tactic unique to the Senate called unanimous consent. Both bills aim to expedite hiring of veterans. The bills would fold CBP job opportunities into the Defense Department’s Transition Assistance Program, among other outreach methods. Roughly 250,000 to 300,000 U.S. armed service members separate from the military annually, and many of those possess skills needed at CBP, the bills say.
House legislatures chose to go with slightly truncated language in two parts of the legislation. The House bill vaguely directs the Department of Homeland Security to expedite hiring. The Senate legislation includes that language, but builds on it by requiring DHS to “identify Military Occupational Specialty Codes and Officer Branches, Air Force Specialty Codes, Naval Enlisted Classifications and Officer Designators, and Coast Guard Competencies that are transferable to the requirements, qualifications, and duties assigned to Customs and Border Protection Officers.” The Senate bill requires DHS to make those identifications within 60 days of enactment. Both bills direct a progress report to Congress, and the Senate bill includes a section on those identifications.
The House bill put forth by McCarthy’s office includes administrative language outside the bill text that suggests the House will pass an amended version of the measure, but that language doesn’t specify the amendments. Should the House pass the precise Senate legislation, the bill will be available for President Barack Obama’s signature. McCarthy’s office didn’t immediately respond for comment.