On the recordNovember 10, 2011
I would like to express my support for provisions contained within the amendment offered by Senator Tester, as they will make critical strides in addressing the reality that far too many of our Nation's veterans are finding it difficult--if not impossible--to find work in the civilian job market after they leave military service. Senator Tester's amendment is illustrative of how our Nation's government should work, as it contains ideas from both bodies of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, and the executive branch. Over the past year, I have been particularly pleased to support many of the concepts contained within this amendment in other forms. I joined Senator Patty Murray, chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, in June by cosponsoring the Hiring Heroes Act, which is the source of a great number of the sections of this amendment. I am also gratified to see that this amendment contains the President's September proposal to offer tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed and disabled veterans. As I said then, providing tax incentives for these hires is an excellent means of fostering job creation--in this case, it has the added benefit of helping to address veteran unemployment rates.…





