Bill > S1530

This bill aims to enhance military recruitment by improving access to student information and creating new programs to increase youth engagement with military service. The legislation introduces several key provisions: First, it expands military recruiters' access to high schools, allowing them to visit campuses at least four times per academic year during peak hours and in high-traffic areas, and permits access to additional student information like academic grades. Second, the bill establishes two types of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) affiliations - host units and cross-town units - to increase program accessibility for students. Third, it creates a two-year pilot program to recognize "HERO schools" (Honoring Excellence and Recruitment Opportunities) that have above-average military enlistment rates, providing formal recognition to schools that foster a culture of military service. The bill also mandates priority consideration for military service academy applicants from schools with high military enlistment rates and establishes a National Week of Military Recruitment in the first week of April. This comprehensive approach addresses the current recruitment challenges, including a shrinking eligible population and declining youth awareness about military service benefits, by creating multiple pathways to increase military engagement among young people.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1530/all-info