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By
Senator Ben Nelson
Later this week, we Nebraskans will join all Americans in paying tribute to our veterans for their contributions and sacrifices in the cause of liberty. Veterans Day is a special day and a somber time when we honor the dead and the living, those young men and women who in every war have shown their courage and their commitment to our country.
We are grateful for their sacrifice and for that, they will never be forgotten.
We Remember and We Can Do More
While we honor and remember the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, we can do more to remember the veterans among us today. They aren’t hard to find in Nebraska, as there are more than 144,000 veterans who live and work in our neighborhoods, towns and cities.
Jobs for Veterans Honors Their Service
This week, the Senate will take up legislation to provide a helping hand to some Nebraska veterans who deserve it.
The bill aims to make sure that once their service ends, our veterans can continue contributing to our society in the workforce. It provides tax credits of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been hunting for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 tax credit for veterans out of work more than a month, but less than six months.
The bill allows service members to begin applying for federal jobs before they officially leave the service, which will help them make a seamless transition back into private and productive lives.
The bill expands education and training for older veterans by providing veterans of past wars with additional Montgomery GI benefits they can use for education or training at community colleges. Not long ago, while traveling in the Panhandle, I was fortunate to meet some veterans using these benefits at Western Nebraska Community College to boost their job prospects.
Our struggling national economy is making it hard for veterans to find work, which is unfortunate. In my view, when they leave the service, we shouldn’t just shake their hands for a job well done and then send them out the door to look for work alone.
More than 8,300 Nebraska Veterans Need Work
Today, around 8,300 Nebraska veterans, an estimated 5.8 percent, are unemployed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The veterans’ jobs bill will help them find work. I’ve been told it won’t raise taxes for new spending, and it won’t add more deficit spending that will go onto our national debt.
800 Nebraska Veterans May Be Homeless
I’m supporting another initiative by the U.S. Veterans Administration that increases outreach to homeless veterans. Unfortunately, some who served our nation returned home with special needs and are homeless. Veterans Administration officials in our state estimate that there are between 800 and 1,000 Nebraska veterans who are forced to sleep under bridges, in parks or in shelters.
Helping to open doors for unemployed veterans and improve services for homeless veterans in Nebraska is part of the commitment we must keep to those who have served. This Veterans Day, let’s remember the commitment they made for us and work to repay that debt to them.
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