U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Thom Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Job Creation for America’s Veterans

BRAVE Act creates incentives for businesses to employ our veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced bipartisan legislation today that would support job creation for America’s veterans.

“America’s veterans have bravely served our nation and we have a shared responsibility to make sure their service and sacrifice is honored,” Senator Baldwin said. “The BRAVE Act is a bipartisan reform that can help reduce the unemployment rate for veterans and create jobs for them. I am proud to work across party lines and reward businesses that are putting our veterans to work.”

The Boosting Rates of American Veterans Employment Act (BRAVE Act) is supported by The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Wisconsin, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart (Wisconsin.)

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) establishes long-term contracts with private businesses for medical equipment, supplies, services and more. Currently, the VA gives preference for these contracts to veteran-owned small businesses, however it does not give preference to businesses that actively employ veterans.

The BRAVE Act would change that and allow the VA to consider the proportion of veterans employed by a prospective contractor when awarding federal contracts. The VA Secretary would have the authority to give preference to businesses that employ veterans on a full-time basis, and the VA would determine the preference for a business based on their percentage of full-time veteran employees.‎

The bipartisan legislation would also encourage and incentivize VA contractors to employ veterans. In addition, the Baldwin-Tillis legislation provides oversight of VA contractors and would require 5-year debarment from contracting for those who knowingly misrepresent their proportion of veteran employees.

The text of the BRAVE Act (S.3154) is available here.