Bills would boost job training for vets

Bills would boost job training for vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 2, 2009 16:38:38 EST

A key member of a House panel responsible for helping veterans find jobs has introduced five bills to enhance job training and placement.

Rep. John Boozman of Arkansas, ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on economic opportunity, said he hopes the bills provide some ideas about things Congress can do to help veterans make the transition from military to civilian life.

And, he noted, that does not necessarily mean spending a lot of tax dollars.

One of Boozman’s bills, HR 1172, is the Pat Tillman Veterans’ Scholarship initiative, named for the former pro football player killed in Afghanistan in 2004 while serving as an Army Ranger, which would require the Veterans Affairs Department to maintain a list of scholarships available to veterans and their survivors.

Boozman is not against spending any money on veterans’ programs, however. One of his bills, HR 1170, would create a grant program to develop technology to help modify homes for disabled veterans. Another, HR 1171, would extend through 2014 an existing grant program to provide job training and employment services for homeless veterans.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_veteransjobs_030209w/%2e