The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VOW TO HIRE HEROES ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S7238-S7239 on Nov. 9, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VOW TO HIRE HEROES ACT
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise specifically to speak in strong support of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This legislation incorporates key components of the American Jobs Act and other bipartisan proposals designed to help veterans find jobs, including the Hiring Heroes Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor. These are commonsense policies that Congress can and should pass immediately.
We are in the midst of an unemployment crisis that is obvious to every American, and it is a growing problem that is sapping not only our economic strength but indeed our sense of national purpose and our morale. The national unemployment rate has been hovering around 9 percent, and that means 14 million Americans are looking for work in one of the toughest economies since the Great Depression. But what is unfortunate--some might even say shameful--is that almost 1 million of those Americans looking for work are veterans returning home after valiantly serving our country. The unemployment rate for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq is an indefensible 12.1 percent. It represents a significant blow to young men and women who are returning home after serving their country in very difficult circumstances. In 2010, 36 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq-era veterans were unemployed for longer than 26 weeks. Again, that is a shameful statistic.
This unfortunate trend is mirrored in my home State of Rhode Island. We have a very high unemployment rate--10.5 percent, one of the highest in the Nation. We have been unfortunately in that category for almost 2 years now. But for veterans, the rate is 11.1 percent. They are doing even worse than other nonveterans in the unemployment category. That is one more reason, by the way, that we should extend the unemployment compensation legislation that is so necessary. I have joined Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, Levin, Merkley, and Gillibrand, and we have proposed to do this with the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2011. We still have people coming back from Afghanistan; we still have people who are holding on to a job but very well might lose it. They need these benefits, and if we don't pass this legislation, then beginning next January, there is a very real possibility that they will not be able to get these benefits which are so essential.
We have to work together. I think it is a very good example of the work Senator Enzi, Senator Alexander, Senator Durbin, myself, and others have done with respect to this legislation on sales tax. But we have to work across the aisle, particularly for our American veterans, but also for American workers throughout this country.
Again today we have a component of the American Jobs Act before us. This bill is focused on veterans, but the jobs act overall should be passed. We have argued for it endlessly, because it will put Americans to work, it is fully paid for, and it will be an investment in our infrastructure and in other programs that are long-term needs of this Nation.
This particular legislation before us targeted at veterans would provide incentives for businesses to hire these veterans, including a tax credit of $2,400 for hiring a veteran who has been unemployed for more than 4 weeks but less than 6 months, a $5,600 tax credit for hiring a veteran who has been looking for a job for more than 6 months, and a $9,600 tax credit for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job more than 6 months. These incentives will help veterans secure employment and they should be passed immediately.
These veterans deserve our help as they transition from their military service to their civilian careers. They have incredible skills of leadership, of diligence, of dedication, of self-discipline that add to their technical skills and make them incredibly important for the growth of our economy, and they have to have the opportunity to use these skills for the benefit of their communities, as they did to defend their country. This legislation provides that critical assistance.
It has other aspects to it. First, it would provide opportunities for military personnel who are leaving active service for transitional assistance to be able to participate in workshops sponsored by the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The workshops will help them write resumes, receive career counseling, and other things.
Second, it expands education and training opportunities for older unemployed veterans by essentially providing an additional year of Montgomery GI bill benefits for use at community colleges and technical schools. It also allows servicemembers to begin to seek civilian jobs in the Federal Government prior to formally separating from their military service.
Earlier this week I was with the President when we announced these initiatives and more. After that visit to the Rose Garden, I went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda to visit those young men and women who have served and who are now wounded warriors. Trust me, their spirit is undeterred, as is their commitment to their country. We owe them much more than we can ever repay, and the first payment of that huge debt is passing immediately--this week--this legislation to help our veterans. So as we celebrate Veterans Day with speeches, we will have a real accomplishment to bring to the American people and the veterans who serve and defend us today.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I note the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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