Res. No. 1003
Resolution urging the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign S. 951, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, which would help service members separating from active duty find employment.
By Council Members Nelson, Arroyo, Dromm, Eugene, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, Koppell, Reyna, Rose, Vann, Williams, Chin, Dickens, Rivera, Rodriguez, Vacca, Mark-Viverito, Ulrich and Halloran
Whereas, On May 11, 2011, S. 951, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, was introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Murray and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs; and
Whereas, The Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 aims to improve the provision of Federal transition, rehabilitation, vocational, and unemployment benefits to members of the Armed Forces and veterans; and
Whereas, On March 11, 2011, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report, entitled Employment Situation of Veterans in 2010, which estimates an unemployment rate of 20.9 percent among veterans between the age of 18-24; and
Whereas, In June 2011, the BLS reported a 13.3 percent unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that reside in the state of New York; and
Whereas, The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the New York State Department of Labor reported to United States Senator Gillibrand that a total of 17,300 veterans in New York City were unemployed at the end of 2009, an increase of 4,700 from 2008; and
Whereas, In June 2011, President Obama announced that 33,000 American troops would leave Afghanistan by the end of summer 2012, which suggests that the number of young veterans in New York City will increase; and
Whereas, In an effort to bring the unemployment rate among veterans down, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 would mandate that all service members separating from active duty participate in the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP); and
Whereas, TAP is a partnership between the Department of Defense (DOD), VA, and DOL which consists of comprehensive three-day workshops focused on providing education, career, and job services information and assistance to all separating and retiring service members; and
Whereas, Under current law, participation in TAP by service members is encouraged but not mandatory, and only the Marine Corps has elected to require its members to participate in TAP; and
Whereas, The United States Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, if the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 is enacted, an additional 45,000 individuals would be required to attend the employment workshops the DOL already administers each year and that DOL would have to hold about 1,400 additional workshops annually to accommodate the increased attendance; and
Whereas, Mr. John McWilliam, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations and Management of Veterans' Employment and Training Services at the Department of Labor, indicated during testimony at the June 8, 2011 hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs that TAP is the "keystone" to assisting service members transition to civilian life and a newly revamped TAP will go into effect by Veterans Day 2011; and
Whereas, The Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 would also require the DOL to follow-up with all participants of TAP to determine their employment status not later than 180 days after they separate from uniformed service, and then once every 90 days for an additional period of 180 days; and
Whereas, The Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 further requires the DOL to conduct outreach and provide employment services to veterans who recently separated from uniformed service who have received unemployment compensation through the ex-servicemembers program for more than 105 days; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York urges the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign S. 951, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, which would help service members separating from active duty find employment.
BF
LS# 2710
8/10/11