Bill Approved in the House to Extend a Hiring Preference to More Veterans

The Alaska House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday intended to allow more veterans to take advantage of hiring preferences. Senate Bill 145 was approved unanimously by the Senate back in March and a slightly different version of the bill was approved unanimously by the House on Wednesday. Since the House version of the bill was different than the Senate version the bill has been sent back to the Senate for concurrence. The bill is focused on allowing veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and the more recent conflicts to take advantage of hiring and housing preferences granted to veterans from earlier conflicts. Senate Bill 145 seeks to extend the hiring preference to all veterans who have served since the Vietnam War. The bill also implements the “Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act”. That act allows military families to receive full survivor benefits for fallen soldiers. Senate Bill 145 was put forward by Governor Sean Parnell who released a statement Wednesday thanking the House for approving the bill.