U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) on Feb. 9 sponsored legislation that would allow for the faster hiring of United States military veterans after their active duty service ends in an effort to offset the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) rapidly aging workforce.
“I’m proud to champion this bipartisan and bicameral effort to improve our federal workforce and retain our skilled veterans,” said Rep. Moore, who introduced the Retain Skilled Veterans Act, H.R. 939, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA). U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on the same day introduced the identical S. 339.
If enacted, the bill would permanently remove the existing requirement for retired military members to submit a waiver to work as a civilian employee at the DOD within 180 days of his or her retirement or separation for positions at the GS-13 level or below, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“Congress should not create obstacles to veterans who want to transition into the civil service, especially as our depots, arsenals, and shipyards struggle to keep up with competitive hiring environments,” Rep. Moore said. “Our veterans retire from the military with decades of technical and tactical expertise, strong academic backgrounds, security clearances, and desires to serve.”
The bill has received support from the Military Coalition and the Military Officers Association of America.
“Congress should be removing barriers facing service members when they want to transition into a civilian defense job,” said Rep. Kilmer. “A veteran shouldn’t have to wait six months — or worse, be unemployed for six months — for bureaucratic reasons. This common-sense bipartisan bill will remove that hurdle and ensure that our service members can transition into good jobs.”