[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16826-16827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         VOW TO HIRE HEROES ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, every man and woman who puts on the uniform 
of the U.S. Armed Forces takes a solemn oath to support and defend the 
Constitution against all enemies. With that oath comes an obligation: 
to defend the freedoms for which this noble Nation stands and upon 
which it was founded, without regard to personal price.
  For this service, the United States makes a promise to our soldiers, 
sailors, marines, and airmen in return. That promise isn't about flag 
waving or yellow ribbons. It lasts long after the parades and holidays 
are over, through every day and every year of their lives. It is a 
guarantee that the American dream, for which every servicemember 
fights--and for which many of their comrades have died--will be waiting 
for them when they return.
  Since September 11, 2001, this country has allowed that promise to 
lapse. Today, there are 240,000 unemployed veterans. These are veterans 
in the fight against global terrorism. Among veterans who have served 
since September 11, unemployment is more than 12 percent--more than 3 
percentage points higher than among the general population. Among the 
youngest veterans--those under age 25--the unemployment rate is 22 
percent.
  These young men and women volunteered to fight terrorism abroad, but 
their struggles didn't end when they came home. Despite their service 
and experience, one-quarter of a million post-9/11 veterans can't find 
employment in today's dismal economy and rapidly changing workforce.
  It is time for this country to make good on its promise. As we pay 
tribute this week to the millions of American veterans who have 
faithfully served our flag, Democrats want to introduce legislation to 
put those men and women back to work. VOW to Hire Heroes is the name of 
the legislation. This will offer tax credits to companies that hire 
unemployed veterans or veterans who were discharged in the last 5 
years. The legislation will give an additional tax credit to the firms 
that hire unemployed veterans with service-related disabilities. 
Disabled veterans will also be eligible for an additional year of 
vocational rehab and employment benefits under this legislation.
  The plan makes transition assistance--including resume-writing 
workshops and career counseling--mandatory for all servicemembers being 
discharged. Although our veterans are coming home with greater 
technical and leadership skills than ever before, those skills don't 
always translate to a civilian resume. This program will help bridge 
that gap.
  Many Federal agencies, such as the VA and Homeland Security, badly 
need employees with the unique skills veterans possess. This 
legislation will also make it possible for servicemembers to apply for 
those jobs before they leave the military. This will allow soldiers to 
transition from serving their country in uniform to serving the 
civilian world without a gap in their employment.
  To keep our promise to older veterans, the legislation will expand 
education and training opportunities at community colleges and 
technical schools for 100,000 unemployed veterans who served before 
September 11. Democrats believe we owe it to the men and women who have 
fought for us to fight for them here at home.
  The VOW to Hire Heroes is our fourth attempt to pass commonsense 
legislation that puts Americans back to work and helps jump-start our 
economy. Senate Republicans unanimously opposed our last three jobs 
bills, although those bills had the support of the vast majority of 
Americans--Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. Meanwhile, 
Republicans have yet to propose a single idea of their own to create 
jobs. Their obstruction has cost hundreds of thousands of teacher and 
first responder jobs, it has cost hundreds of thousands of construction 
jobs, and put reconstruction of our Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, 
and runways on hold.
  Now we will see whether the Senate Republicans are willing to put 
jobs for veterans at risk as well. I certainly

[[Page 16827]]

hope they are not. I hope they will join us this week in supporting the 
legislation that uses ideas originally proposed by Republicans and 
Democrats to put this Nation's veterans back to work without adding a 
penny to the deficit.
  I believe every man and woman serving in the Senate today is a 
patriot. I know each and every one of us supports the members of the 
U.S. armed services and is grateful to every veteran who has served. 
This week we have the opportunity to express our gratitude and our 
patriotism with action.
  So far, Republicans have stood firm against even the most reasonable 
plan to create millions of jobs for the sake of politics. It is only a 
matter of time before they break and join Democrats in our efforts to 
create jobs and get the economy back on track.
  As Veterans Day fast approaches, I urge my Republican colleagues to 
abandon partisanship and help us honor our commitment to this country's 
heroes.

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