A bill was introduced in the Senate in the second session of the 112th Congress, which seeks to establish a Veterans Job Corps. It is called the Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012, Senate bill 3457. What is distinctive about this bill is that it provides for $1 billion to fund this effort over a five-year period. Here's how it works:
The secretary of Veterans Affairs in cooperation with the U.S. attorney general, the secretary of Agriculture, the secretary of Commerce, the secretary of Homeland Security, the secretary of the Interior, and the commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers establish a job corps to employ veterans in the following areas:
?conservation;
?resource management;
?historic preservation;
?maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries;
?firefighters;
?law enforcement officers; and
?medical technicians
Priority in hiring will be given to veterans who served on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
Along with employing these veterans, the above-named secretaries shall award grants to or enter into contracts with state governments, local governments or non-governmental entities to employ veterans to carry out the projects involving these veterans. For example, the secretary of Homeland Security shall grant awards under section 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to cover the veterans hired as firefighters. The U.S. attorney general shall award grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to hire veterans as law enforcement officers.
The secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, in consultation with the steering committee, award such assistance to state and local government and non-government entities to finance the hiring of veterans. The steering committee, chaired by the secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consist of:
?the secretary of Agriculture;
?the secretary of Commerce;
?the secretary of the Interior;
?the commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with advisory input from the secretary of Defense; and
?the secretary of Labor.
In addition, not more than 10 percent of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the secretary of Veterans Affairs may be transferred by him to the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Affairs to employ veterans.
The bill provides that without further appropriation to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, the sum of $1 billion for the period of fiscal 2012 through fiscal 2017. Of this amount, not more than 5 percent shall be spent to administer this program.
The secretary of Veterans Affairs is not a stranger to us. He is none other than Eric Shinseki, a recent visitor to our island.
We who are on Guam cannot directly influence our U.S. senators to pass this bill because we have none. But we can indirectly. We have relatives all over the United States with voting senators. We can write to our relatives, friends, brothers and sisters to write to their state's U.S. senators about this bill and to advocate its passage.
It is a good bill for the veterans and their families. It is a good bill for Guam. It is also good for those in the states who may be thinking of returning to Guam. It presents a golden opportunity for veterans to get jobs.
John Unpingco is director of the Guam Veterans Affairs Office.
Source: http://www.guampdn.com/article/20120825/OPINION02/208250319/1014/rss03
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