Cliff Stearns: “I also rise in support of H.R. 4592, as amended, a bill to provide for the establishment of a pilot program to encourage…”

“I also rise in support of H.R. 4592, as amended, a bill to provide for the establishment of a pilot program to encourage the employment of veterans in energy-related positions. Madam Speaker, I think the final bill is better. I applaud the manner in which the bill was developed. As originally introduced by Mr. Teague, the bill would have established a Department of Labor grant program to subsidize employers for salaries paid to newly hired veterans working in the energy sector. The ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Mr. Boozman, Dr. Boozman, expressed some reservations, some concerns about the approach, and he offered to work with Mr. Teague to craft a bill that would pay for skilled development, providing on-the-job training for veterans in the energy sector. And to the credit of Mr. Teague, he's worked with our side in a bipartisan manner. I believe we have a better bill that will promote greater veterans employment results in the long run. I liken it to helping a veteran, in a way, instead of perhaps giving him something for a day, we're also giving him the opportunity to learn so that it will be for a lifetime.”