[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16152]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           JOBS FOR VETERANS

  (Ms. HOCHUL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HOCHUL. Mr. Speaker, I welcome President Obama's announcement 
that our brave men and women in our Armed Forces serving in Iraq will 
soon be coming home in time for the holidays. This holiday season, we 
can expect to see 40,000 people returning to this country, particularly 
some who are coming back to my Niagara Falls Air Force base, where I 
look forward to welcoming them warmly.
  But as we approach Veterans Day and embrace this group of America's 
newest veterans, I'm troubled that, in a time of 9.1 percent 
unemployment and an even higher rate of unemployment for our returning 
veterans, which approaches 12 percent, we have to ensure that these 
individuals will have jobs; otherwise, it is a national disgrace.
  That is why it's critical that we pass the American Jobs Act. This 
would create a $5,600 ``Returning Heroes'' tax credit for employers who 
hire veterans, and a $9,600 tax credit for ``Wounded Warriors,'' again, 
for employers who hire our veterans with service-connected 
disabilities. In a country as grateful as ours for their service, we 
owe them no less. We owe them better. That is why I urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting the American Jobs Act.

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