Pete Aguilar: “I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, far too often our brave servicemembers return to civilian…”

“I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, far too often our brave servicemembers return to civilian life only to find that the skills they have gained in military service do not easily transfer to the job market. These brave men and women who have worked tirelessly to keep their country safe deserve to know that they can thrive here after their service is complete. For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Jobs for Our Heroes Act. Among other critical initiatives to help our servicemembers find civilian employment, this legislation contains my bill, the ADVANCE Act. The ADVANCE Act will allow Active-Duty servicemembers, reservists, and National Guardsmen to access the same unique testing standards for commercial driver's licenses granted to veterans by the latest surface transportation bill. This commonsense legislation will allow those serving our country to begin the process of finding civilian employment before they finish their term of service, allowing them to hit the ground running upon reentering civilian life. Our Nation's heroes deserve to know that the process of transitioning out of the military will be seamless, and this bipartisan legislation will help ensure that is the case. I want to thank the ranking member, the chairman for their leadership. I also want to thank Senators Warren, Cornyn, and Tillis for guiding this bill through the Senate. I urge my colleagues here in the House to vote in favor of this today.”