Veteran jobs act earns strong Senate support
Mansfield News Journal – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown predicted strong bipartisan support for a bill meant to reduce high unemployment among military veterans returning from service.
The Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 passed in the Senate on Thursday, 94 to 1. It is scheduled to go to the U.S. House next week, said Brown, one of 22 Senate co-sponsors.
The bill includes:
» Tax credits of up to $5,600 for businesses hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months; and up to $9,600 for businesses hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.
» A $2,400 tax credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than four weeks, but less than six months.
» Expanded education and training opportunities for older veterans, by providing 100,000 unemployed veterans of past wars or eras with up to a year of additional Montgomery GI Bill benefits toward education or training at community colleges or technical schools.
» Making the Transition Assistance Program mandatory for veterans moving into civilian life, to help them secure jobs through resume writing workshops and career counseling.
