McNerney Pushes For Jobs For Veterans

Press Release

A bill authored by Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) to make sure veterans have access to good job opportunities passed the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs yesterday with bipartisan support.

H.R. 2243, the Veterans Employment Promotion Act, requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a website with information about the number of veterans employed by federal contractors. Current law requires contractors to file reports with the Secretary on the number of veterans they hire and employ, but this information is not easily accessible to the public.

"No one is more deserving of jobs that result from federal contracts than the men and women who have served our country," said Rep. McNerney. "The Veterans Employment Promotion Act will ensure that information on the number of veterans employed by federal contractors is widely available and transparent to the public. I'm glad that the bill passed with bipartisan support and I'll keep working to ensure that our veterans have access to good jobs."

A 2009 hearing by the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity examined federal contractor compliance with veterans' employment laws. During this hearing, representatives of several Veterans Service Organizations recommended better enforcement and oversight. Testimony from this hearing can be viewed here.

H.R. 2243 is now expected to move to consideration by the full House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

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