The Labor Commissioner shall establish a Special Operations Resource Network to serve as a clearinghouse for veterans and members of the armed forces and National Guard who have acquired, as part of their military training, knowledge, experience or a set of skills most compatible with certain professional opportunities. The Labor Commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and the Adjutant General, shall develop a database in which such veterans and members are categorized based on the types of military training received and cross-referenced against certain professional opportunities for purposes of pairing any such veteran or member with any such professional opportunity. Any veteran or member of the armed forces or National Guard may apply for inclusion in such database by submitting (1) evidence of the military training received by such veteran or member describing the particular knowledge, experience or set of skills acquired, and (2) if such applicant is a veteran, such veteran's military discharge document or a certified copy thereof. The Labor Commissioner shall evaluate any such application, include such veteran or member in such database, and so categorize such veteran or member as described in this section. The Labor Commissioner shall update such database weekly and shall publish such database on the Labor Department's Internet web site. Any person interested in hiring any such veteran or member included in such database shall contact the department through a dedicated telephone number and the department shall facilitate contact between such person and such veteran or member. For the purposes of this section, (A) “veteran” means any person who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service in the armed forces, (B) “armed forces” has the same meaning as provided in section 27-103, and (C) “military discharge document” has the same meaning as provided in section 1-219.

(P.A. 16-68, S. 1.)