U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Thom Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Job Creation for America’s 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, the Boosting Rates of American Veterans Employment (BRAVE) Act.

“America’s veterans have bravely served our nation and we have a shared responsibility to make sure their service and sacrifice is honored,” said Senator Baldwin. “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 with Senator Tillis and reward businesses that are putting our veterans to work.”

“I’m proud to join Senator Baldwin to introduce bipartisan legislation that supports businesses who employ and back our veterans,” said Senator Tillis. “The men and women who served in our military bring tremendous leadership capabilities and work ethic to the private sector, and the BRAVE Act is a major win for both veterans and employers who hire them.” 

The BRAVE Act is supported by The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Military Order of the Purple Heart, The American Legion – Department of Wisconsin and the VFW – Department of 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 on a full-time basis. In addition, the Baldwin-Tillis legislation provides oversight of VA contractors and would allow for a 5-year debarment from contracting for those who knowingly misrepresent their proportion of veteran employees.

The BRAVE Act companion legislation (H.R. 974) led by Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) and Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA) passed the House of Representatives last night.