Representatives Greg Steube (R-FL) and Susie Lee (D-NV) are introducing bipartisan legislation encouraging businesses to hire student veterans.
The mechanism through which the Hire Student Veterans Act seeks to achieve this is through the expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a tax credit offered to employers that encourages them to hire groups that have difficulty finding employment.
Specifically, the tax credit is expanded to cover part-time jobs and paid internships performed by veterans attending colleges and universities through the GI Bill or other programs.
While Reps. Steube and Lee are introducing the House version, Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are introducing the Senate companion bill.
"America owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women of our military for their service," Rep. Steube said in a statement. "No veteran should ever be left to languish on the unemployment line." "It is only right that we provide our heroes with every possible option to earn a reliable income while attending school," he added.
Rep. Lee similarly praised the effort, commenting, "As the brave men and women who fought to keep our country safe transition back to civilian life, we need to make sure finding a good-paying, rewarding job isn’t another battle."
"The Hire Student Veterans Act will provide our student veterans with the training, resources, and opportunities they need to start new careers, all while creating incentives for businesses to hire veterans," Rep. Lee continued, "We must pass this bipartisan, commonsense legislation to make sure our vets, especially our student vets, have a roadmap to start new careers and start their civilian life back home in Nevada."
The Florida Congressman's bill comes on the heels of Representative Gus Bilirakis's (R-FL) Veteran Education Empowerment Act, which reauthorizes the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success grant program that helps colleges and universities establish Student Veteran Success Centers.
