IAVA Applauds Senate for Introducing the Vow to Hire Heroes Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 4, 2011

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IAVA Applauds Senate for Introducing the Vow to Hire Heroes Act

If passed, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act would help lower high rate of veteran unemployment

NEW YORK -Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, applauded the Senate for introducing the VOW to Hire Heroes Act.

“As we approach Veterans Day (11/11/11), we applaud the Senate for making veteran employment a top priority. After today’s grim vets jobs report, this legislation could not come at a better time for the at least 240,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets who were out of work last month. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act includes key provisions from Chairman Miller’s VOW Act, Senator Murray’s Hiring Heroes Act and tax breaks to businesses for hiring these veterans. IAVA is calling for Senators on both sides of the aisle to put aside partisan politics and stand together to support America's veterans by unanimously passing this bill,” said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff.

“If this legislation is the first jobs bill to pass out of Congress this year, it will show that our community is a top priority in Washington for all.”

In addition to working with the public sector, IAVA is also hosting jobs fairs and closely coordinating with the private sector to lower new veteran unemployment as part of our Combat to Career program. Through innovative partnerships with companies like jcpenney, Google, Southwest Airlines and many more, IAVA is working with industry leaders to combat new veteran joblessness. To learn more about IAVA’s Combat to Career program, please visit IAVA.org/combat2career.
 
If you are a member of the media who wishes to arrange an interview with IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff or an IAVA Member Veteran that attended the signing ceremony, please contact Isabel Black at (212) 982-9699 or isabel@iava.org.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the country’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide.
 

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