House Passes Jobs Bill for Veterans

With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives passed six pieces of legislation on Wednesday to address two alarming issues facing veterans: the rising unemployment rate and sexual assaults occurring at veterans facilities.

Included in the legislation is the heavily anticipated Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 (the VOW Act), which was passed just days after the latest veteran unemployment figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an increase from 7.7 to 8.1 percent nationwide.

House united in efforts to end veteran unemployment

In his statement to the press, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, emphasized that the House stands unified in addressing issues facing veterans.

"The House of Representatives sent a clear message that not only is support for our veterans strong, but that we stand together to end veteran unemployment," he said.

The VOW act provides education and job training benefits to unemployed veterans, including an enhanced Transition Assistance Program and up to one year of Montgomery GI Bill benefits for eligible unemployed veterans.

All six pieces of legislation will now go before the Senate for consideration. For more information on the bills that were passed, refer to the press release, "Veterans Legislation Passes House of Representatives - VOW Act Heads to the Senate."

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