Senate To Vote On Scott Brown-Sponsored Vets Jobs Amendment Tomorrow

Press Release

U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees, cosponsored a major veterans jobs package that was introduced yesterday as a bipartisan amendment to his 3 percent withholding repeal bill. Senator Brown issued the following statement on the amendment, which the Senate will vote on tomorrow:

"How fitting that America's veterans are helping the Senate overcome the gridlock. This bipartisan amendment brings together a number of veterans jobs initiatives--from active duty military transition assistance to vocational rehabilitation--that will spur job growth among those who've sacrificed the most. I was proud to work with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on this legislation to help our heroes, and I am optimistic that it will pass the Senate tomorrow."

Background

With the veterans-jobs amendment now introduced, the Senate will vote tomorrow on two pieces of bipartisan jobs legislation introduced by Senator Brown.

The underlying bill, the 3 percent withholding repeal, was originally introduced as the Withholding Tax Relief Act of 2011 and championed by Senator Brown.

The veterans-jobs amendment will expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to incentivize the hiring of unemployed veterans, which closely mirrors the Hire A Hero Act, introduced by Senator Brown. The amendment also contains elements of the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 [not to be confused with the Hire A Hero Act], of which Senator Brown was the original Republican cosponsor.

In January, Senator Brown introduced the bipartisan Hire A Hero Act and the bipartisan Withholding Tax Relief Act of 2011 as part of a package of six bills intended to boost job growth in the Bay State. After nine months of steady advocacy from Senator Brown and dozens of discussions with veterans groups and small businesses, these policies have finally broken through to the top of the Senate agenda as leaders on both sides of the aisle look to pass bipartisan jobs legislation for the American people.

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