This episode examines three bills that passed Congress in July and have since become law. The first new law will give veterans quicker access to health care. The second new law is designed to provide job training to poor people, but a hidden provision will likely take us one step closer to 1984. The third new law is another glaring example of this Congress failing to do its job. Also, Jen tells you her plans for Congressional Dish's future. July Bills that Became Law Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 Allows veterans to get medical care ; they can go to any health facility that serves Medicare patients, health centers, the Defense Department, and the Indian Health Service. Veterans are they'd have to wait for an appointment with the Veteran's Administration or if they live 40 miles or further from a Veteran's Administration clinic. If eligible, the veteran will receive a . Veteran notifies VA, VA puts Veteran on an electronic waiting list or authorizes their request, VA works out a payment agreement with the health care provider, VA reimburses health care provider but no more than they would for Medicare services. If the veteran gets treated for , their health insurance plan will be responsible for payment and the health care provider will be responsible for going after the insurance company for the money. Veterans for care at private facilities than they would have been charged at the Veteran's Administration. . Orders a , establishes a , and creates a to review VA practices. when determining performance bonuses for top officials at the Veteran's administration and performance goals that disincentivize using private health providers for veteran care . for health care at the VA, VA facility , and will be published online. The VA will for five years to address staffing shortages. and they'll receive for working for the VA. Expands coverage for , which will include . This will be . Extends a pilot program for assisted living care for veterans with traumatic brain injuries . that charge veterans more than State residents from being qualified schools for veteran education benefits. Makes it senior executives at the Department of Veteran's Affairs. to implement these changes. The bill passed the Senate on July 31st by a vote of . The bill passed the House of Representatives on July 30 by a vote of . Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act This bill was originally passed on March 15, 2013 as the SKILLS Act and was discussed in episode . The bill that became law was drastically different. Job Training Programs Keeps the make up of the boards largely the same: Most members will be representatives of the business community, twenty percent of the members must be State officials, and . The . The State boards will advise that will determine how funds are best spent in their local communities. , if they had established them before this bill became law. The goal is to come up with 4 year and plans to best provide workforce training to give the unemployed most desired by the businesses that operate in the state. The State plans . The plans are deemed approved after 90 days if the agencies have not formally disapproved in writing. will be in charge of - and held liable for- disbursing government money for the job training programs. Local taught in job training courses. Success will be measured by the six months and a year after leaving the job training programs. If a state fails to meet performance requirements, the . If a local board fails to meet performance requirements, their . Job training funds are allowed to be spent on services provided . of the funds will go towards training eligible young people who include who have dropped out of school, are in the juvenile detention system, are homeless, are pregnant or single parents, can't speak English, or are disabled. will include tutoring, paid and unpaid internships, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, and financial literacy classes. The rest of the funds will be for adults or . The job trainer providers , meaning they will need to provide all the services in the program at one location. eligibility verification, skill testing, job search assistance, statistic compilation, assistance with unemployment filing and student loan applications, career planning, and English language lessons. Training services will only be available to people . skills training, on-the-job training, "training programs operated by the private sector", and ESL classes. Companies that provide on-the-job training paid for by the government. Twenty percent of the money can go towards , which pay companies to train their own workers to avert layoffs. , with larger companies paying more. The program will be at $2.8 billion in 2015, increasing to $3.3 billion by 2020. The law establishes a Department of Labor to provide an "intensive social, academic, career and technical education" to prepare them for jobs in "in-demand industry sectors or the Armed forces". Document: Over half of the students consistently . Article: of the the participants must be "residential". Jobs corps centers . They can pocket of their funds as "management fees". There is no cap. The jobs corps centers with English classes, work training, physical education, driver's education, financial literacy classes, counseling, and recreation. Enrollees in the job corps will by laws governing hours of work, compensation, vacation time, or Federal benefits but . Work place injury compensation will be for jobs corps enrollees. Makes the Education Department to carry out any program, not just the jobs corps. Article: The Jobs Corps Program over $1.6 billion in 2015 which will gradually increase to over $1.9 billion by 2020. Administrative costs are , whichever is higher. Adult Education Program Available for people who do not have a high school diploma or who need help learning English. The providers . Part of the funds will be used to who have a good chance of being released in the next five years. The program will be given until 2020. Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 Written by Rep. Dave Camp (MI-4) Extends current levels for transportation funding . The effects of this extension on the budget . Also Discussed In This Episode Check out Jen's latest appearance on Reserve your tickets for Music in this Episode Intro and Exit Music: by (found on by mevio) by (found on by mevio) by (found on by mevio)