SERVE Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Military Personnel.
Securing Experienced Returning Veterans Employment Act of 2017 or the SERVE Act
This bill directs that in order to improve the accuracy and completeness of a certification or verification of job skills and experience acquired while on active duty, the Department of Defense (DOD) (and the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy) shall: (1) establish a database to record all training performed by members of the armed forces that may have application to civilian sector employment, (2) make such information that is unclassified available to states and other employers so that they may allow military training to satisfy licensing or certification requirements for civilian professions, and (3) ensure that certifications and verifications of job skills and experience can be confirmed by states and other employers.
A state may use a certification or verification provided to a member of the armed forces and request DOD or the Coast Guard to confirm its accuracy and authenticity. Such information shall be confirmed or denied within five business days.
A certification or verification provided to a member of the armed forces and accepted by a state to satisfy licensing or certification requirements shall be valid in all states once used in the accepting states.
Pre-separation counseling concerning licensing and certification requirements shall include state-submitted and approved lists of military training and skills that satisfy occupational certifications and licenses.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 22, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 17, 2017: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
David Trott (R-MI) introduced it on June 22, 2017, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 22, 2017, 3367 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3342 days ago, on July 17, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers