Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Chairman, I think we can all agree that our veterans deserve the very best we can offer when they return home. While we can never repay them for their heroism and bravery, we can reaffirm our appreciation by doing everything in our power to help them transition back to civilian life. My amendment would help us do just that.

This amendment requires the Department of Transportation and the Department of Defense to work together to help veterans transition into civilian jobs driving commercial trucks. It would help them obtain commercial driver's licenses, as outlined in a report commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 2 years ago. This report was done at the direction of the last surface transportation bill, MAP-21, and my amendment requires DOT and DOD to work together to implement the report's recommendations.

Along with improving access to quality health care, one of the most important ways we need to help veterans is connecting them with job opportunities. Encouraging local businesses to hire more veterans is one step, but helping our veterans translate those skills they used in the military is a crucial part of putting our veterans back to work.

Many veterans who drove specialized vehicles in the military struggle to put these skills to work when they return home because of unnecessary and burdensome regulations. My amendment makes it easier for veterans to put their skills to work by requiring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's report recommendations be put into effect.

Please allow me to explain.

My amendment writes into law the recommendations that States can waive driving skills tests if a veteran certifies that he or she was employed in the military in a position operating a commercial motor vehicle, or CMV, during the last year. This was included in the underlying bill, for which I applaud the majority and minority for their efforts; however, my amendment goes a bit further.

Among other things, my amendment helps create an abbreviated commercial driver's license skills test for States to give military drivers who do not have the experience operating vehicles with air brakes or manual transmissions.

This amendment also, based on the recommendations of the report, directs the military services to work with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to clarify options available to servicemembers and veterans to obtain existing information on military licenses, military CMV driver history, and military CMV experience.

Mr. Chairman, we need to do better by our men and women in uniform who have risked and sacrificed so much to keep us safe and free. As we focus on growing our economy, we need to keep our veterans in mind as we seek to expand job opportunities. This amendment will help us do just that.

The study commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was 2 years ago. It is time to put that into action and to get our veterans back to work. This is about getting our veterans what they have earned and deserve, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see this through.

I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source