[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 9, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7238-S7239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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
[[Page S7239]]
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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