Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I think the whole committee, and certainly the chairman and I, agree that putting veterans to work, especially at a time of high unemployment in general, should be one of the chief goals not only of this committee but of the entire Congress and our Nation. And when we may have, for example, double or even triple the already tragic unemployment rate for veterans, it becomes that much more important.

Now I've heard descriptions of this bill as comprehensive and as meaningful. And I was looking forward to this VOW bill, the Veterans Opportunity to Work. I was hoping it would be a WOW bill--that is, a wonderful opportunity to work--but it seems it has become, and remains so, the HOW bill--how are we going to put anybody to work with this bill?

Let me try to make that clear, Madam Speaker. Throughout the whole committee process that this bill went through, I described it as one that did not create jobs, but actually taxed veterans. Taxed veterans. Remember that, Madam Speaker. You took a pledge not to vote for anything that taxed anybody. This bill does. It actually taxes one group of veterans to help some other group of veterans. And I still feel the same way about the bill as it came through the process. Now I support all programs that will help veterans and improve their lives, and I know this bill is called a jobs bill. But, it is merely a retraining bill. Retraining.

Now, we all want retraining, and we all know it's important. But I want to get people a job. I don't just want to retrain them and call this some great bill. My concern is that this bill will not get veterans hired at all. It may retrain them, who knows, but they'll have no place to get a job. And we'll have taxed one set of veterans to pay for their retraining--an increased tax, for all of you who took the pledge not to increase taxes.

Now I think we have to support the spirit of the bill of retraining and try to find proper funding in a bipartisan way, and I hope that working with our Senate counterparts we can do that. We need proper funding for all of these programs that are so good. But the gentleman and his party don't want to ask for more money from anybody, even our millionaires. They want to tax one group of veterans who are trying to buy homes, and so they'll train this group of veterans and claim they're creating jobs. Now, that's not what we should be doing here in this Congress.

This bill will actually diminish services to our veterans. I know that my counterparts, for example, want the so-called TAP classes, the Transition Assistance Program classes, contracted out. But I don't think the time is right to do that. So how do we pay for this bill for retraining, this VOW bill that should've been a WOW bill but is only a HOW bill? It says to those who want to buy a home through the VA housing program that your fees, which were scheduled to go down, will not now go down. They're going to be kept high. This refusal to extend a tax decrease has always been described by the party over there as a tax increase, so I will keep your language. You are increasing the taxes on one group of veterans who want to buy homes to pay for this retraining bill which may not get anybody a job.

Now, I know, Madam Speaker, you're going to tell Grover Norquist what's going on here, get hold of him right away, because this is a violation of the pledge that he is requiring of all of the Republicans: don't raise taxes. And in his definition of raising taxes, it's extending fees that were going to go down that now don't go down. So that's an increase in taxes.

So let's remember this when we think about the VOW bill. Let's vow to say we want to put people to work, we don't want to raise taxes. But this bill does neither. It not only doesn't put people to work, it raises taxes. So I cannot support the bill, Madam Speaker, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank the gentleman for the description of Dr. Seuss. He's a great citizen of the city of San Diego, and a great hero to all of us in San Diego. So we always quote Dr. Seuss. I understand your appreciation, and I'm thrilled by it.

You are not quite as accurate, though, when you say where we got the money for the Filipino veterans bill. In fact, we got it from a completely different source. You may or may not be accurate on my previous votes, but I never took the pledge that you have taken, Mr. Chairman. I never took the pledge that all of you have taken about not allowing the lowering of fees as a new tax.

I will yield when I'm finished. You have a lot of time left.

We're coming from wholly different places. I believe in the jobs bill that is being voted on in the Senate, that we should actually in fact not only cut programs but increase our revenue from a surtax on the millionaires in our society. So I'm there when I say we need new funds. You're the ones who keep saying, Don't do anything; Don't do anything; Don't increase anything; Don't extend this, don't extend that. You're the guys who are the hypocrites here. So don't confuse my past votes with hypocrisy.

In addition, there are bills before our committee, Mr. Chairman, and you know it, that actually increase the jobs that are available for veterans. They actually take steps to increase the ability for our veterans who are defending our Nation, who we owe so much to, to get the jobs.

Besides, as you know, we have goals all over the government to hire veterans and to hire disabled veterans. Those goals are not enforced. What if we enforced those goals? We could hire thousands of veterans, because it is the intent of Congress and the intent of this Nation that they be given priority in the hiring process, especially with public jobs. Yet we do not enforce those goals.

So let's not say that this is the only way to increase jobs. There are dozens of way, and they're in front of our committee.

Let's go for a WOW bill; a wonderful opportunity to work for our veterans. Let's move off the VOW. Let's move off the taxing of one part of veterans to pay for the other. Let's really create jobs for those who have done so much for our Nation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I would yield to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

I appreciate the provision you put in. But do you know that the other provision increases the fees for veterans to buy their homes, that you are extending a higher fee and paying for this whole thing by taxing these veterans at a higher rate? Do you realize that that's what you're voting for, in violation of your pledge to Grover Norquist?

I asked you. I didn't yield to him. I yielded to you, Ms. Foxx. Do you know that you're voting on an extension of taxes, in violation of your pledge to Grover Norquist?

I don't yield to the chair. I yielded only to you.

For the record, I guess you don't know what you're voting on, or you're voting against what your pledge was.

Madam Speaker, the gentlelady from North Carolina did not answer my question. I guess she either doesn't know what's in the bill, or she's violating her pledge. I'll leave it at that.

Once again, we need jobs for veterans in this country. There is no debate about that. And there's no debate that retraining is okay. What we are debating here is whether this is an effective way to use the floor of this House to bring up a bill which will be presented as something that did jobs, and does nothing, and shows the hypocrisy of these pledges that they're voting to extend the increase----

I'm not yielding.

I will not even yield to my good friend. Even if you were my best friend, I wouldn't yield to you.

The hypocrisy of saying, we can't tax anything, we can't tax anything but when it comes to veterans who want to buy a home, their fees are going to be increased because of this bill.

Now, that ought to be known to the American people that we're going to vote against a 5 percent surcharge on millionaires, but we're going to go after these folks who are trying to buy their first home and have to pay higher fees.

This Republican party is going to protect the millionaires but go after the veterans who can't afford a home. That's what this argument is about right now, under the guise of helping our veterans find jobs. Let's show the American people where reality is.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Tell me what the question is.

Will the gentleman yield?

No, I don't support it because it has the same funding thing. And I don't support the hypocrisy of the Republican Party, which says it's against a 5 percent surtax on millionaires but will tax veterans who are trying to buy their first home.

Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Thank you.

Let me just correct again my friend, the chairman. I didn't call Chairman Murray a hypocrite. I called those of the Republican Party who have taken a pledge of no taxation and voting for taxes here, hypocrites. Let's be clear about whom I'm calling hypocrite. Let's be clear about that.

Second, there are a hundred different ways to have a better bill here. I would support it with all my heart. There are bills before the committee. There are concepts that have been brought up by me and others. Let's bring a real jobs bill to the floor and I'll be happy to support it.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, let me first say I do appreciate the efforts that you have made, very aggressively, to keep a bipartisan aura on this committee. And I think you and I have taken a whole new position than the past. We have met regularly for breakfast and for lunch. We have even paid for each other--without taxing others.

But you know as well as I do, there are other bills that should have been brought to this floor. You wouldn't bring them up. Sanford Bishop's bill, for example, which came to the committee. I endorsed it. I don't see it anywhere. You wouldn't take it up.

You know we can't get any amendments through your committee when you tell them not to vote for them. So, come on, you know the process. You decided that this is the bill that's going to happen.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

I will say through the Chair that the chairman knows very well how the process works. He knows that we can't get amendments passed. He knows there are other bills--mainly Democratic bills--that are before the committee; some have had a hearing, some haven't, but they haven't been brought to the floor. We get a ``vow'' act, we don't get a ``wow'' act, we get a ``how'' act. That's what has been brought by the leadership of the committee to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, you have yielded to me; I will yield back here. Why won't you support mandatory goals for veterans or disabled veterans, as they are in legislation as goals--3 percent sometimes--for hiring? Let's make them mandatory. Do you agree to that? You asked me a question. Do you agree to mandatory goals for disabled veterans for hiring in public projects?

You don't support mandatory goals.

Do you support mandatory?

You asked me yes or no, and now you won't say ``yes'' or ``no.''

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Madam Speaker, I wish you would remind the chair that he asked me a yes or no. I just asked him a yes or no, and he's playing games with words.

I guess it's his time, but I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the Speaker, and I thank the chairman.

We are good friends, and we have tried to maintain a bipartisan stance, but I disagree with the way this bill is brought forth. We have so many opportunities to increase the jobs for veterans and we're just not taking them. That saddens me. It's not partisan. We can do better. We can do better than this, and we're not taking the opportunity.

And we get all this rhetoric over the taxes, that if you don't extend the Bush tax cuts, that's raising taxes; if you don't extend the lowering of fees, that's a tax increase. Well, here the same thing is being done to a small group of veterans who can't afford it.

I'm sick of this rhetoric, Madam Speaker, that says we can't do any of this, we can't do any of this, we can't do this, we can't tax millionaires, we can't have a balanced approach to balancing the budget, but then we take on veterans who can't afford a home and increase their fees. That, for me, is the definition of hypocrisy, and that's why I'm against the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2433) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the laws relating to the employment and training of veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today I rise in strong support of H.R. 2433, as amended, the Veterans Opportunity to Work, or the VOW Act. The objective of H.R. 2433, as amended, is to use an approach that is comprehensive and is fiscally and programmatically sound to help a broad cross-section of

veterans obtain or retain meaningful employment.

Foremost among the provisions of the VOW Act is title I of the original legislation that I was proud to introduce to help put our unemployed veterans back to work. Title I targets retraining assistance to 100,000 unemployed veterans of past wars by temporarily extending their eligibility for the Montgomery GI bill. The advantage of this approach is that we are providing a reasonably robust yet affordable benefit without creating a new program. Other provisions in this bill continue the comprehensive approach by mandating, with a few exceptions, that separating servicemembers participate in transition assistance program classes.

Yet other provisions facilitate the alignment of State licensing and credentialing standards with the skills servicemembers learned during their military service to our country, and strengthening the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act provisions. The bill also incorporates a bill authored by the vice chairman of our committee, my good friend Gus Bilirakis from Florida, to direct the VA to collect data to determine the number of credit hours, the degrees, and the certificates earned by those attending courses under the GI bill.

Most importantly, the data collected will help us to learn how well the GI bill benefits are positioning veterans to get jobs in today's economy and market.

Provisions from H.R. 120, authored by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), are also a part of this legislation. These provisions would extend the VA's home loan guaranty program to certain surviving spouses of chronically and severely disabled veterans. I thank Ms. Foxx for her continued advocacy on behalf of those whose support and loyalty was so important to their veteran spouses.

And finally, I should point out that the mandatory and discretionary costs of the bill before us today are fully covered and are compliant with the budget rules of this House, according to CBO. Mandatory offsets are covered by extending at their present rate funding fees paid by veterans using their home loan guaranty benefit and by limiting pension payments to veterans receiving care in Medicaid-funded nursing homes. These are both offsets that the committee has used extensively in the past, and most importantly, in passing a fix to the post-9/11 GI bill by a vote of 424-0 in this House.

The discretionary costs of the bill are covered by two additional provisions. The first eliminates the overcharging of VA by ambulance providers for transporting certain veterans. And the second holds VA employee travel, printing, and vehicle fleet costs at 2011 levels.

To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I say that this is in fact a good bill that addresses a major issue confronting the Nation in a comprehensive and fiscally responsible manner with the support of the veterans service organizations.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2433, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I did not know that we were here today to hear a recitation of Dr. Seuss, but apparently we are.

What's interesting to note is that the gentleman from California has supported over and over and over again reaching into fee payments to pay for funding of other programs which he supported, like the Filipino Veterans Act, which I supported. And, in fact, I was a cosponsor of that piece of legislation. And I find that it's interesting that in 2010, Mr. Filner proposed nearly $1 billion in cuts to old age pension and aid, and attendants payments to the elderly, the poor, and the disabled wartime American veterans in an attempt to provide generous payments to noncitizen Filipino veterans of the Second World War.

With that, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida, the vice chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Mr. Bilirakis.

Will the gentleman yield?

Since the gentleman, my good friend, forgot to yield to me during that discussion, I just want to set the record straight that H.R. 2297, on December 16, 2003, of which Mr. Filner was a cosponsor, increased--it didn't just extend--it increased fees on original and subsequent use loans, which was done to finance veterans benefits in the bill, including the burial of Philippine veterans. In the House he enthusiastically endorsed the bill reported out of committee and again endorsed a negotiated version with the Senate.

With that, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Will my good friend yield?

I would ask my good friend, the ranking member, if he would respond to a question.

Madam Speaker, I would ask if the gentleman from California supports Senator Murray's piece of legislation--which I believe there is almost an identical piece filed in the House by Mr. Bishop--does he support, yes or no, that piece of legislation?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Reclaiming my time, Madam Speaker, I find it quite interesting that the gentleman from California has just called the Senator, who is the chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, a hypocrite, which I do not believe is appropriate.

I believe that there are nuances and differences which we will be able to work out, hopefully, in conference when we bring these bills together. I hope that the minority will, in fact, engage in the conference portion of this piece of legislation because we have tried to engage them over and over outside of the committee structure to be able to give them an opportunity to give us another offset, another way to fund this particular piece of legislation, and they have not brought anything to us. So, to me, it's a problem we are trying to solve. We have different ways in which we are trying to accomplish goals.

And I want to put veterans back to work, helping to retrain those, in particular those that are unemployed in this very, very difficult economic time. The overall veterans' unemployment numbers are around 8.1 percent, and we know that the numbers with the OEF/OIF returning veterans are significantly higher.

I don't believe I have any more speakers on this particular piece of legislation, Madam Speaker, and I would reserve the balance of my time.

If there are a hundred ways to perfect the piece of legislation, why have you and the minority party not offered one, not one time in our committee? And you and I have tried very diligently during the preceding months in this Congress to try to be able to keep as nonpartisan as we possibly can, but not one time have you offered anything other than rhetoric to attempt to perfect this bill. Why haven't you offered any amendments?

I do support goals.

I support creating jobs.

We continue to have no more speakers and would reserve the balance of our time until such time as the minority wishes to close.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from California for the lively debate.

I would remind my colleagues that this piece of legislation did pass out of our committee with bipartisan support, 17-5.

I would like to enter into the Record the following letters of support from various organizations:

Military Officers Association

of America,

Alexandria, VA, July 14, 2011.

Hon. Jeff Miller,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Miller: On behalf of the 370,000 members of

the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), I am

writing to thank you for your leadership in introducing H.R.

2433, The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act.

H.R. 2433 would re-open Vietnam Era GI Bill educational

benefits to certain veterans who have been chronically

unemployed, mandate attendance in the Transition Assistance

Program (TAP), require the Defense and Departments of Labor

to track outcome measures for TAP participants, re-authorize

a pilot program to link military acquired skills to civilian

jobs through licensing and certification, and for other

purposes.

MOAA recommends including a provision in the bill to

require outreach by the VA to unemployed veterans who may be

eligible for the GI Bill benefits authorized in Title I of

the legislation. We would also recommend adoption of

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) program

adjustments and other employment-related features in the

Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, H.R. 1941.

MOAA pledges its full support for early enactment of H.R.

1941 and respectfully requests including this letter in the

record of any hearing to consider or mark-up this important

legislation.

Sincerely,

Norb Ryan.

I also ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2433, as amended.

I once again encourage all Members to support this

legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 674. Members of this House are well aware of why the 3 percent withholding tax must be repealed. It threatens to destroy the cash flow of thousands of small businesses that sell goods and services to the government agencies and impose additional costs on cash-strapped State and local governments.

Today I want to talk about the big picture and why this is so important for job creation. Americans are hurting. Nearly 14 million are unable to find work, and millions more are stuck in part-time jobs, even though they would like to work more. We are now well into the fourth year of this downturn, and many Americans are increasingly discouraged about the long-term future of our economy.

America's job creators are hurting too. Today, thousands of small business owners will sit down, look over their books, and try to discern what the future holds. They are uncertain about whether there will be sufficient demand for their goods and services. They are uncertain about how Europe's fiscal crisis will affect our economy and whether we will do what is needed to address our own debt crisis before it's too late. And they're uncertain about the direction of government policy, whether Washington will continue to hand down new taxes and regulations that stifle economic growth.

The 3 percent withholding tax is an example of the kind of government policies that discourage job creation. When small business owners are evaluating whether their investments will allow them to make a living, it matters if a new tax is going to cut off their cash flow in just over a year.

Repealing this tax is one important step. It sends a message to America's job creators that jobs are our number one priority and that Congress is committed to undoing policies that stand in the way of restoring prosperity.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), who has been instrumental in working on this legislation and coming up with savings that we can do to see that it is paid for.

I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Mulvaney), the chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today we have an opportunity to encourage job creation by repealing a tax that's looming over small businesses and also to improve economic opportunities for the men and women who have risked their lives and limbs to serve our country in the Armed Forces.

I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Chamber of Commerce of the

United States of America,

Washington, DC, November 14, 2011.

To the Members of the United States House of

Representatives: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's

largest business federation representing the interests of

more than three million members and organizations of every

size, sector, and region, strongly urges you to support H.R.

674 as amended, which would fully repeal the burdensome 3%

Withholding Tax mandate enacted in Section 511 of the Tax

Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-

222).

H.R. 674 was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support

in the U.S. Senate last week. The Senate passed bill adds

language to make a technical clarification regarding the

existing federal levy program in order to conform to

congressional intent and directly address tax delinquency.

H.R. 674 originally passed in the U.S. House of

Representatives by a vote of 405 to 16 and is supported by

the Administration. Given the substantial bipartisan,

bicameral support for repealing the 3% withholding tax

mandate, the Chamber urges the House to expeditiously approve

H.R. 674 as amended to give greater certainty to those

impacted.

Unless repealed before it takes effect on January 1, 2013,

the 3% Withholding Tax will have a dramatic, negative impact

on millions of honest taxpaying businesses as well as state

and local governments. Under this provision, the Internal

Revenue Service (IRS) was given new broad sweeping authority

to hold hostage 3% of nearly every transaction between the

public and private sector--giving the federal government an

interest free loan on the backs of many honest taxpayers.

This mandate is also anti-stimulus in the sense that it

removes money from local economies and sends it to the IRS.

Additionally, the profit margin for many businesses is

often less than 3%, meaning that the withholding tax will

create significant cash flow problems for day-to-day

operations as well as draining capital that could be used for

job creation and business expansion. The 3% Withholding Tax

will also drive opportunities away from small businesses as

governments look to consolidate their purchasing with larger

companies to make it less onerous to comply with the mandate.

During these difficult economic times, Congress should be

pursuing policies that encourage, not hamper, business growth

and job creation in the private sector.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports H.R. 674 as

amended, to fully repeal the 3% Withholding Tax, and urges

you to approve this important legislation and send it to the

President for his signature.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Democratic and Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate for their timely consideration of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

As the House sponsor of the Hiring Heroes Act provisions that are in the bill, I would also like to thank the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees for their outstanding work on this jobs measure, as well as to thank the chairs and ranking members of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Just as this Nation has a responsibility not to leave our soldiers behind on the battlefield, we also have an obligation not to forget our veterans when they return home.

Last month the unemployment rate for veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan was 12 percent. The youngest of veterans, ages 18 to 24, had a 30 percent unemployment rate in October. Among African American veterans aged 18 to 24, the jobless rate is a striking 48 percent. These numbers, Madam Speaker, are unacceptable. H.R. 674 allows us to honor our veterans by ensuring that they have the resources and the tools they need to find suitable and sustainable employment.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 674 and to provide our Nation's veterans with the employment opportunities that they need and so rightly deserve.

Madam Speaker, as the House sponsor of the Hiring Heroes provisions in this bill, I would be remiss if I did not also thank House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller; House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Bob Filner; Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Patty Murray; and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr for their outstanding work on this comprehensive 1 veterans' jobs measure.

Last week as America celebrated Veterans' Day, patriots all across our great nation honored our brave veterans with parades, luncheons, and other ceremonies of remembrance. The many sacrifices members of our Armed Services have made for the freedoms we currently enjoy certainly warrants a national day of recognition and so much more.

Our patriotic service members have been instrumental in building and defending our democracy. We, as a nation, have a responsibility to pay tribute to them and preserve the memory of their service in our history and in our hearts and minds.

Just as this nation has a responsibility not to leave our soldiers behind on the battlefield, we also must not forget our veterans when they return home. In many respects, our soldiers need our help even more when they receive their discharge papers and return to civilian life.

Last month, the unemployment rate for veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan was 12.1 percent versus 9.1 percent for the U.S. overall. The youngest of veterans, age 18 to 24, had a 30.4 percent unemployment rate in October, an increase from 18.4 percent a year earlier. Among black veterans age 18 to 24, the jobless rate is a striking 48 percent. These numbers are unacceptable.

H.R. 674 allows us to honor our veterans by ensuring they have the resources and tools they need to find suitable and sustainable employment.

This wide-ranging legislation combines key components of President Obama's American Jobs Act, Chairman Miller's Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, and the Hiring Heroes Act. I sponsored the bipartisan Hiring Heroes Act in the House and Senator Patty Murray introduced the measure in the Senate.

The bipartisan Hiring Heroes Act provisions included in this legislation will ensure that all service members transitioning to civilian life receive the job training skills they need to find a job. This legislation allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a smooth transition from the military to jobs at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies in need of our veterans.

This bill also makes the Transition Assistance Program--an interagency workshop coordinated by the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs--mandatory for service members moving on to civilian life.

This initiative helps veterans secure 21st Century jobs by providing resume writing workshops, job search techniques, interview tips, and career counseling.

Other provisions in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act will provide nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans with up to one-year of additional Montgomery GI Bill benefits to qualify for jobs in high demand sectors. In addition, the legislation provides tax incentives of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans, and up to $9,600 for hiring disabled veterans, if the veteran has been looking for work for six months or longer.

Madam Speaker, we have an obligation to ensure our veterans land on their feet when they come home and help them find good paying jobs to support their families. These heroes have risked the most for our country. They shouldn't be coming home to unemployment checks. That's why providing this support to our nation's veterans is simply the right thing to do, and I look forward to voting in favor of this comprehensive veterans' employment initiative.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 674 and to provide our nation's veterans with the employment assistance opportunities that they need and so rightly deserve.

Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to speak in support of the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.

I thank my colleagues from the Veterans' Committee for their continuous support of our Nation's veterans--especially my ranking member Senator

Burr of North Carolina, for his steadfast advocacy of the government's responsibility to provide health care for the veterans and family members stationed at Camp Lejeune.

In addition, I thank Representatives Jeff Miller and Bob Filner, the chairman and ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for their hard work in developing this bipartisan, bicameral, and fully paid-for legislation.

With the passage of the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, military families affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, NC, would have the health care they need.

These families have waited for decades to get the assistance they need, and they should not be forced to wait any longer.

The legislation would also allow the VA to continue a number of programs that are so critical to helping veterans who have no place to call home.

Currently, the VA can only provide emergency shelter to veterans who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness. But we all know not all homeless veterans are mentally ill. Yet the VA is currently prevented from offering these critical services to all our veterans.

The Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 would also make much needed improvements to the VA's housing programs by expanding the eligibility for the VA's specially adapted housing assistance grants.

These are some of the most disabled veterans in our Nation, and they deserve to be able to move about in their homes freely and safely.

This bill will also help more veterans use telehealth and telemedicine and allow veterans to receive travel assistance for visits to our vet centers. These provisions will especially help our veterans in rural and highly rural areas to access care from the VA.

It will also improve the way the VA reimburses State veterans homes for the care of elderly, seriously disabled veterans.

I know every Member of the Senate has at least one State veterans home in their State. Without this change, some of these homes may have to lay off staffers or be unable to accept more veterans, so it is a very important provision of the bill.

This legislation will also require important policy changes to protect veterans from sexual assault and other threats in the VA's inpatient mental health units and homeless programs.

Finally, we all know veterans continue to find themselves waiting entirely too long for a decision on their claims. This legislation will address the claims backlog by providing the VA with the ability to process appeals much more quickly and by supporting the VA's transformation to a paperless system. It will also make other needed improvements to the claims system, such as ensuring surviving spouses receive proper and timely benefit payments.

Above all, this bill fulfill's the responsibility this Nation has to provide care and service to our veterans and their families. In the case of those families who spent time at Camp Lejeune, this bill gives sick veterans and their families the benefit of the doubt their illness or condition was caused by the water at Camp Lejeune so they can finally get the health care they need.

This is something Congress has done before. When an illness or condition comes about after a veteran's service and any relationship between the veteran's current illness and their service is not readily apparent, the burden of proving the illness is a result of one's service can be insurmountable. In such circumstances, we have presumed a veteran's exposure caused their current condition and got them the help they needed. We have lived up to the responsibility we owed them, which is in the core of this bill.

Many veterans and their families are waiting for the passage of this bill. Our House colleagues are ready and willing to move this forward quickly as well. We did have one concern from the Senator from South Carolina, Mr. DeMint. We had a very productive conversation, and we now have that language resolved and have had a gentleman's agreement to move the bill forward today.

I wish to thank the Senator from South Carolina for his work and effort to get this bill passed. I know our veterans and families across the Nation are waiting.

I thank all our colleagues who have worked so hard on this very critical piece of legislation.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the Joint Explanatory Statement in relation to this bill.