[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 4110 ``HELPING TO ENCOURAGE REAL OPPORTUNITY 
 FOR VETERANS TRANSITIONING FROM BATTLESPACE TO WORKPLACE ACT OF 2014''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, study after study has documented the 
difficulties experienced by a majority of men and women transitioning 
from the Armed Services to the civilian sector.
  Veterans regard one of their greatest challenges to be finding a 
meaningful job even though nearly 90% of them believe they have the 
general skills needed to land their ideal job such as problem solving, 
leadership, ethics, and time management and most believe they possess 
specific marketable skills, such as information technology, health 
care, mechanical, and aviation.
  Some of the major challenges faced by veterans are:
  1. Overcoming the difficulty in translating to employers the value of 
the skills they learned in the military;
  2. Competing with candidates who have been in the workforce longer;
  3. The perceived reluctance of employers to hire due to concerns 
about multiple deployments or military training and time commitments of 
the Reserve Component, and fears of dealing with veterans' 
disabilities.
  That is why I have introduced H.R. 4110, the ``Helping to Encourage 
Real Opportunity for Veterans Transitions from Battlespace to Workplace 
Act of 2014'' or ``Transitioning HERO Act.''
  The Transitioning HERO Act addresses these problems by providing 
strong incentives for employers to hire, retain, and employ veterans in 
positions that take maximum advantage of their skills and experience.
  It does this by providing tax credits for those employers who employ 
Military Relations Managers (MRM), who will be experts in understanding 
how military-acquired training translates into useful skills in the 
civilian labor market.
  Military Relations Managers (MRMs) will:
  1. work with hiring agencies and within their companies to promote 
the hiring of transitioning military leaders; and
  2. advocate and represent the interests of veterans thoroughly by 
focusing on placement of veterans within companies in positions that 
reflect the breadth of leadership and technical skills obtained and 
utilized during military service.
  My bill also directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to establish, maintain, publicize, and make available to 
employers a Military Skills Translator Database. This database will 
assist private sector employers in understanding, applying, and valuing 
military skills and experiences to the civilian economy.
  The tax credit provided under the bill is $1000 per hired veteran. To 
be eligible to claim the credit, an employer must employ and utilize a 
Military Relations Manager.
  This important legislation will benefit both veterans and hiring 
companies, by giving our transitioning veterans the jobs and positions 
that are appropriate to their invaluable experience and by encouraging 
companies to examine the application of veterans' acquired skills with 
quality representation.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans want Congress to focus on jobs and economic 
growth, not more political posturing.
  Instead of trying to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act for 
the 50th time, we should be focusing on the real problems of the 
American people, like extending unemployment insurance and providing 
training opportunities for the long-term unemployed and helping our 
veterans transition from the battlespace to the workplace by passing 
H.R. 4110, the ``Transitioning HERO Act.''

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