Hearing of the Labor, Health, and Human Services Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - Job Training Programs for Veterans

Statement

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, made the following opening statement at the Committee's hearing on job training programs for veterans today. As Prepared for Delivery Thank you. I first want to thank Chairman Rehberg for convening this hearing today.

And thank you to our witnesses. First, welcome to Kevin Schmiegel and Ismael Ortiz, thank you for your service to our country and thank you for sharing your insights and expertise with us today. I want to say a particular hello and thank you to my good friend Joe Carbone, President and CEO of The Workplace. Through his hard work, thousands of residents in my state, including countless veterans, have found better, richer, and more fulfilling employment. Recently, Joe's innovative efforts to target the long-term unemployed were recognized nationally and spotlighted on CBS' 60 minutes. Thank you, Joe. It is always great to see you.

The brave men and women who serve our nation overseas deserve our admiration, our grateful thanks, and, when they get back, opportunities for a good, well-paying job to support their families.

In 2011, the average unemployment rate for new veterans -- those serving since September 2001 - was 12.1%, compared to an 8.7% annual average for non-veterans. The most recent monthly reports in January and February of 2012 have been more encouraging, with last month's unemployment figures for new veterans dropping to 7.6%, the first time below the national average of 8.3% since August 2010. Despite these potentially hopeful indicators, it is clear we still need to do much more to help our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan find work.

This is particularly true of our young veterans. In 2011, the unemployment rate for new veterans aged 18-24 was a staggering 30.2 percent, almost double the 16.3% unemployment faced by non-veterans in this age group. With a projected one million more men and women returning to civilian life in the next five years, we have to be sure we are doing everything we can to facilitate the transition from the battlefield back to the job market.

And, we must remember as our veterans are seeking work they are often trying to transition back into their life at home with their families and sadly far too many are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related challenges. These transitions take time, and it is important to remember that our veterans' employment initiatives do not take place in a vacuum.

I am glad that, despite our differences on other issues, all Members of Congress have come to agreement on the crucial importance of this, as exemplified by the unanimous passage of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act last November.

Under the leadership of President Obama, Jeff Miller, Chair of the Veterans Committee here in the House, and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Patty Murray, Senator Tester and others from both sides of the aisle, this bill passed includes a new Returning Heroes Tax Credit of up to $5,600 for veterans who have been unemployed six months or longer. It also includes a Wounded Warriors Tax Credit of up to $9,600, increasing an existing tax credit for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed for six months or longer.

And this bill overhauls the military's Transition Assistance Program to provide veterans with a baseline training for getting work in the civilian job market, updates job protection laws for deployed guardsmen and reservists, and creates a job training program for unemployed older veterans.

I hope today we can discuss how implementation of this overhaul is proceeding, and how we in Congress can best complement these efforts in the 2013 budget. I look forward to discussing the impact of this new law on the needs of all Department of Labor programs that serve veterans..

This is something I take very seriously. Last Congress, I introduced legislation expanding the opportunities under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to include a benefit to support on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs, on par with that offered through the Montgomery G.I. bill. Similar legislation, though not retroactive, was included in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act signed into law last January.

Veterans have put their lives on the line for our safety and security. They have been overseas and away from their families for very long stretches. The least we can do to honor their bravery and their service is help them find good jobs when they get back.

No investment is more critical than investment in our human capital, and job training and reemployment services -- for veterans and for the rest of our citizens -- are part of the core, essential role for government -- helping responsible people succeed from their own hard work.

In any event, I look forward to today's testimony and to a discussion of these and other issues. Thank you.

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