[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 637-638]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   PUTTING OUR VETERANS BACK TO WORK

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, as incoming chairman of the Senate 
Veterans' Affairs Committee, one of my top priorities will be to 
evaluate and improve the training and employment programs afforded to 
our Nation's servicemembers and veterans.
  Every day, far too many young veterans face the harsh realities of 
unemployment. These are brave men and women who have put their lives on 
the line defending our country who now struggle to find employment and 
provide for their families. The Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act 
of 2013 will ensure we provide them with much needed support.
  This legislation would reauthorize several of the transition, 
retraining, and employment services created by the VOW to Hire Heroes 
Act of 2011. That legislation is making a real impact in the lives of 
countless veterans by providing them with the training opportunities 
they need in order to secure meaningful employment.
  Too often I hear from veterans that the government provides great 
resources for them to find training and employment opportunities, but 
they are not sure where to start in order to tap into those resources. 
Those Departments charged with helping to provide veterans with 
employment assistance must make certain that they are conducting 
appropriate outreach so that veterans know where to turn when they need 
help.
  Assisting in this effort, the Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act 
would also provide veterans with a new, unified, online employment 
portal for veterans seeking information regarding employment and job 
training resources. This online portal would make it easier for 
veterans to take advantage of the services and opportunities available 
to them.
  At a time when 85 percent of law enforcement agencies were forced to 
reduce their budget, according to a 2011 survey by the International 
Association of Chiefs of Police, answering the Nation's public safety 
needs is also a priority. That is why this legislation would provide 
potential employers with additional grants for first responder hiring 
and re-hiring needs.
  This legislation would also direct agency heads to favorably consider 
contractors that employ a significant number of veterans for all 
contracts over $25 million. This provision would ensure that 
contractors, who are doing their part to help veterans find good paying 
jobs, have a competitive advantage when doing business with the Federal 
government.
  Finally, the Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act would strengthen 
our commitment to protecting the employment rights of servicemembers 
and veterans. These commonsense provisions would build upon existing 
law by providing the government with additional tools to carry out its 
obligation to safeguard veterans' employment rights. This legislation 
would enable the Attorney General to investigate and file suit against 
a pattern or practice in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment 
and Reemployment Rights Act and to issue limited civil investigative 
demands for relevant documentary material. It would

[[Page 638]]

also allow Federal agencies to suspend and debar contractors who 
repeatedly violate the employment and reemployment rights of members of 
the uniformed services. Finally, it would provide the Special Counsel 
with authority to subpoena attendance, testimony, and documents from 
Federal employees and agencies in order to carry out investigations 
related to USERRA.
  Mr. President, there are a number of great training and employment 
programs available to veterans. This legislation would strengthen such 
programs and make certain that veterans have and maintain access to 
those programs. That is what our veterans are entitled to and that is 
what we must deliver.

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