{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/reichert-veterans-employment-top-priority", "Reichert: Veterans Employment A Top Priority", "2013-11-21", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Dave Reichert", "R000578", "reichert.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) introduced two new pieces of legislation, the Careers for Heroes Act and the Military Skills to Careers Act, to help get America\u2019s Veterans back on their feet and into good, long-term jobs.\n\u201cWhen our Veterans return from active service, they should not have to fear unemployment,\u201d said Reichert.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all they sacrifice to keep us safe, we have a responsibility to ensure their security, and a big part of that is being able to find a job and provide for themselves and their families.\u00a0 Washington State is home to 675,000 veterans and the largest military base on the West Coast.\u00a0 Over the next few years, Joint Base Lewis-McChord is set to discharge about 6,000 troops per year.\u00a0 I want those troops to know they have a bright future waiting for them.\u00a0 These two bills will help secure those bright futures and I am proud to introduce them into the House today.\u201d\n\u201cIt is imperative that as employers our federal and state agencies set the example for hiring veterans and I\u2019m proud to say that here in Washington we have set that example for state agencies,\u201d said WDVA Director Lourdes E. Alvarado Ramos. \u201cFollowing the service and sacrifice our military personnel make, making sure that jobs are available and licenses transfer seamlessly from military to civilian licensure is the very least we can do.\u201d\nAnne Sprute from the organization RallyPoint/6, which helps connect Veterans with resources to help them transition into everyday life, stated, \u201cAs our service members and their families reintegrate back into communities across the state of Washington, we collectively have the opportunity to ensure the success of our next greatest generation.\u00a0 In this most important mission, RallyPoint/6 welcomes this legislation from Congressman Reichert to help our Veterans \u2018on the path forward\u2019 to the rest of their lives.\u201d\nTom McLaughlin, Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS), which operates a program that teaches veterans how the skills they\u2019ve acquired in war can translate into civilian work, added, \u201cCAMPS, and I personally as a Vietnam Veteran, wholeheartedly support Congressman Reichert\u2019s legislation.\u00a0 Those who have served our great nation have sacrificed to protect what our country stands for and we as a society need to answer the call to action with a collaborative solution bringing together government and business.\u201d\u00a0\nBackground \nVeterans, particularly those between 18 and 29, are struggling to find jobs in one of the toughest civilian labor markets in generations. The Military Skills to Careers Act would help Veterans transition their skills gained in the service into civilian jobs.\u00a0 The legislation would make State licenses and credentials in chosen fields more accessible and open career opportunities without adding to the deficit.\u00a0 The Careers for Heroes Act would ensure federal agencies are using the Veterans Recruitment\u00a0Appointment (VRA) and the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) authority to place more veterans into long-term careers.\u00a0 It would require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to coordinate with these agencies to hire 15,000 veterans to fill existing vacancies over the next five years.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/reichert-veterans-employment-top-priority"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5267098788172007, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}