We owe our freedoms to the brave men and women in uniform who put their nation before themselves.

The enormous sacrifice and selfless dedication of America’s veterans in defense of liberty is a debt we can never fully repay, yet we must do all we can to express our appreciation for their service in a real, meaningful way.

As part of that effort, I co-sponsored legislation recently introduced in the Michigan Senate to encourage small businesses to hire unemployed veterans.

When our veterans return home they often face real challenges transitioning into new careers. We have achieved much to create jobs in Michigan. Unfortunately, more than 30,000 of the state’s nearly 650,000 veterans are unemployed.

The “Hire MI Heroes” initiative is about standing up for our veterans by enlisting Michigan’s job-creating small businesses in the effort to give our veterans a chance to live the American Dream that they served honorably to protect.

Senate Bill 155 would provide Michigan small businesses that hire an unemployed veteran with a one-time tax credit of 25 percent of the veterans’ compensation up to $4,000.

To ensure accountability, SB 155 includes several safeguards, such as enabling the state to reduce or terminate the credit if the veteran the business hired to receive the credit is laid off within a year.

The bipartisan legislation builds on reforms we made during the last few years to assist veterans entering the workforce by removing unnecessary barriers to getting a job in Michigan.

Those reforms and this new initiative are common sense ways to help thank our veterans for their service while also doing something positive for the state economy.

I also encourage all veterans in our state to visit the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency website at www.michiganveterans.com for helpful employment resources and to ensure they are receiving the benefits they earned. Veterans may also call the agency at 1-800-MICH-VET.

 

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents Southwest Michigan.