[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H10028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1130
                 INCENTIVIZE BUSINESS TO HIRE VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Wright) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce the Veterans Back to 
Work Act of 2019.
  It is not hard to see that our economy is booming. We have the lowest 
unemployment rate in 50 years, and hourly wages continue to rise.
  Despite the record-breaking economic numbers we continue to see every 
month, 326,000 veterans remain unemployed around the country. We should 
be doing everything we can to facilitate veterans' transitions back 
into the civilian workforce to help fill the over 7 million open jobs 
we have here in the United States.
  The Veterans Back to Work Act would make the work opportunity tax 
credit, which is set to expire at the end of the year, permanent. This 
tax credit is issued to businesses and nonprofits that hire individuals 
who consistently face significant barriers that prevent them from 
obtaining employment.
  Making the work opportunity tax credit permanent is a great way to 
ensure our veterans are set up for success. There is no reason not to 
incentivize businesses to fill jobs with the men and women who have 
served and sacrificed so much for our Nation.
  I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to come together 
and support this critical legislation.


                        Recognizing Bill Zedler

  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, a lion of the Legislature in Texas is 
serving his last term in office.
  Since 2003, State Representative Bill Zedler has been a champion of 
liberty, a champion of free enterprise, a champion of religious 
freedom, a champion for life. He has been a champion like few others in 
the Texas Legislature.
  Whether the issue was taxes, education, healthcare, veterans 
benefits, whatever it was, his was a voice to which others listened 
because that voice has always been a voice of truth and wisdom. That 
voice will be greatly missed.
  All of us in public office at the end of our time of service have to 
answer the question, did we leave things better than we found them? For 
my friend Bill Zedler, that answer is a resounding yes because Texas 
today is better because State Representative Bill Zedler served in the 
Texas Legislature.
  At the end of the movie ``Troy,'' Odysseus is commenting about how 
history will be written. He says that he lived among giants, that he 
wanted it to be said that he lived in the time of Hector, that he lived 
in the time of Achilles. Well, members of the Texas Legislature can be 
proud that they served in the time of Bill Zedler.
  I thank Bill for all of his magnificent service to the Texas 
Legislature.

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