Ginny Meets With Local Veteran Volunteers

Washington, D.C., Jul 24 -

U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-05) announced today that her legislation to help veterans transfer skills learned in the military into the private sector passed the House of Representatives with voice vote approval.  H.R. 5220, the Veterans Certification and Licensure Act of 2006, passed the House as part of H.R. 3082, a comprehensive bill addressing veterans’ contracting, education, employment and training, memorial services and benefits for veterans.

“For far too long, many employers have overlooked one of the most skilled segments of the workforce – our nation’s veterans,” said Rep. Brown-Waite.  “As Members of Congress, we have an obligation to ensure that this does not happen in the future.  My legislation takes an important step toward fulfilling this obligation, while ensuring that these talented individuals are able to help fill much-needed labor shortages.”

Under the demonstration project, the Secretary of the Department of Labor will select at least 10 military occupational specialties that have skill sets similar to civilian occupations in areas of high worker demand or industry growth.  The Secretary will work with each State to identify local requirements for obtaining certifications, credentials, or licenses in areas relevant to these occupations.  Finally, the project will devise strategies to help military personnel overcome any obstacles or burdens created by these requirements.