(Washington, D.C.) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a
senior member of Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, joined with Senators
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Begich (D-AK), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK),
veterans, and veterans service organizations to unveil the Veterans
Employment Act of 2010. The bill, which was introduced in the
Senate today, is the first legislation that takes a comprehensive
approach to addressing skyrocketing veterans unemployment rates. The
bill includes a series of proposals that improve training, skills
transition, education, and small business assistance programs.
“Too often our veterans return home and have their resumes lost in the
stack,” said Senator Murray. “These are disciplined, dedicated
individuals who’ll be great employees but who need help translating
their skills into civilian careers. We can’t continue to pat veterans on
the back for their service and then push them out into the job market
alone. This is the first comprehensive bill to help veterans go from the
battlefield to the working world.”
“When our soldiers sign
up for service, there isn’t a waiting line and there shouldn’t be a
waiting line when they come home and need a job,” said Senator
Klobuchar. “Our troops have valuable skills and we need to help them
transition their skills and experience into the workforce.”
“After the initial excitement of coming home is gone, the reality of the
challenges they face sets in. They need to know their government is
there for them,” said Senator Begich. “They’ve asked for help with
employment, help with opening a small business, and help with using
their training in the private sector. This comprehensive legislation
will address the unique needs of our veterans who have been struggling
to find work and to keep their jobs.”
“The legislation fills a
critical need,” said Senator Murkowski. “Our veterans leave military
service with exceptional leadership skills and valuable life lessons.
Yet it is not evident that employers fully appreciate all that our
veterans can bring to their workplace. This bill will help our veterans
gain the additional skills they need to participate in Alaska’s oil and
gas industry. It will provide them the opportunity to start their own
businesses, if they choose to. And it encourages employers at all levels
to recognize that those who’ve given much in the service of their
country have much to offer to a prospective employer.”
The
Veterans Employment Act expands job training, placement services and
entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans who may otherwise have
fallen through the cracks of existing programs.
The
Veterans Employment Act:
- Establishes a
Veteran Business Center Program within the Small Business Administration
(SBA) to provide critical entrepreneurial training and counseling to
veterans. - Expands the Post-9/11 GI Bill to allow returning
veterans to use the benefit for apprenticeship and worker training
programs that will help them acquire the skills they need to find
stable, family-wage jobs in their communities. - Creates
pilot programs to test ways transitioning servicemembers can build on
the technical skills learned in the military and better market those
skills in the civilian workforce. - Establishes a Veterans
Conservation Corps Grant Program and a Veterans Energy/Green Jobs Grant
Program to connect veterans with the green jobs market of the future.
The Veterans Employment Act also takes steps to make
current job assistance programs work better for veterans.
The bill:
- Examines the expansion of the National Guard
Employment Enhancement Project (NGEEP), which would provide transition
assistance to National Guard members. - Requires the
Department of Defense and the Department of Labor Veterans Employment
and Training Service to examine the Transition Assistance Program for
active duty service members and recommend how to update and upgrade the
program to meet the needs of today’s veterans.
In addition to Senators Klobuchar, Begich, and Murkowski, Senators Harry Reid
(D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) are also
original co-sponsors of Senator Murray’s bill.
