TRANSPORT Jobs Act
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The bill would require the Secretary of Transportation, working with the Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor departments, to publish a public action plan within 30 days of enactment identifying barriers veterans and transitioning service members face in getting supply chain jobs.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would direct the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor, to develop and publicly release the "Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan" within 30 days of enactment. The plan would need to identify barriers veterans and transitioning service members face in finding, training for, or being hired into supply chain jobs, along with regulatory burdens employers face and regions with the greatest workforce need. It would also have to highlight relevant military skills and existing programs, and recommend short- and long-term actions federal agencies could take. The bill does not itself create any new hiring program, funding, or legal requirement on employers; it only requires the plan's development, consultation with industry and labor groups, and public release. "Supply chain employee" is defined narrowly as someone directly employed in moving goods.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the Secretary of Transportation to develop and publicly release the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan within 30 days of enactment
- 2Would require the plan to identify barriers veterans and transitioning service members face in finding, training for, and being hired into supply chain jobs
- 3Would require the plan to highlight relevant military skills, competency gaps, and existing programs that could be expanded
- 4Would require recommendations for specific short- and long-term actions by Transportation, Defense, Veterans Affairs, or Labor to help veterans become supply chain employees
- 5Would require consultation with the transportation supply chain industry, employers, and labor organizations in developing the plan
Who would be affected
Transitioning service members eligible for preseparation counseling, veterans seeking supply chain careers, and supply chain employers in ports, rail, and trucking industries. The Departments of Transportation, Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor would be responsible for developing and consulting on the plan.
Why it matters
Veterans and transitioning troops would gain a public document identifying what stands between them and supply chain careers, which could inform future hiring initiatives or legislation. Employers in the transportation supply chain could see recommendations aimed at easing recruitment and retention of veteran workers, though the bill itself creates no binding obligations on them.
What would change
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Deadline for developing and publicly releasing the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan
How implementation would work
The Secretary of Transportation would coordinate with the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor, and consult with transportation supply chain industry representatives and labor organizations, to draft the action plan within 30 days of enactment. The plan itself is a one-time public report identifying barriers, employer challenges, workforce needs, and relevant skills, plus recommended short- and long-term agency actions. The bill sets no follow-up reporting requirement, funding mechanism, or enforcement process beyond the initial plan's publication.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and make public the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan. Among other elements, the plan must identify (1) barriers and challenges of members of the Armed Forces who are eligible for counseling under the Transition Assistance Program and veterans in searching or training for employment in the supply chain industry, and (2) challenges that supply chain employers face when recruiting, hiring, or retaining veterans and such members of the Armed Forces.
The plan must also recommend specific short- and long-term actions that DOT, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Department of Labor can take to help veterans and such members of the Armed Forces in becoming supply chain employees.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Government information and archives; Supply chain; Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-243