CÁRDENAS (D) JOINS JOLLY (R) TO HONOR THE HIRING OF VETS
CÁRDENAS (D) JOINS JOLLY (R) TO HONOR THE HIRING OF VETS
(Washington, DC) – Because of high Veterans unemployment after the Vietnam War, a massive campaign was undertaken by the U.S. Government to educate employers on the incredible leadership skills present in Veterans, and to encourage the public to patronize companies that hired Veterans.
Unfortunately, no official metric for Veterans employment was ever created to let American consumers know which companies were most effective at putting our Veterans back to work, following their service.
Today, Veterans still face high unemployment, which is unacceptable given their sacrifice and service to our country. More so, consumers don't have the information at their disposal to know who is hiring our heroes.
With that in mind, U.S. Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley) and David Jolly (R-Tampa Bay Region) today introduced the Honoring the Hiring of Heroes (HHH) Act. The HHH Act will distinguish and incentivize businesses to employ our Veterans by authorizing the Secretary of Labor to award special recognition to employers with Veteran-friendly employment practices.
“Veteran unemployment is frequently much higher than the general population, which is entirely unacceptable,” said Cárdenas. “Many American companies continue to focus on hiring the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our nation. However, it is important to celebrate the companies who are making the effort, not simply paying lip service.”
The HHH Act would authorize the Secretary of Labor to distribute an award known as the “Employment Salute Award” to eligible businesses that demonstrate a track record of Veteran employment. All recipients of the award will be listed in a section of the Department of Labor’s website and will be exemplified for their work. The Employment Salute Award will not have a monetary value. It will be solely for recognition.
“Our Veterans who have fought and sacrificed to preserve our freedoms and our liberties deserve not just our gratitude but deserve to be empowered when they come home and this award celebrates the employers that recognize the importance of that,“ Jolly said.
The bipartisan legislation was also co-sponsored by Reps. Brownley, McGovern, Carson, Cicilline and Veasey.
Text of the legislation can be read here.
A summary of the legislation can be read here.
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