Ingram, Hays File Veterans’ Employment Preference Bill

February 12, 2014

Florida Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) and Rep. Clay Ingram (R-Pensacola) have filed legislation which allows private, non-public employers in Florida to give hiring preference to an honorably discharged veteran, or the spouse of a service-disabled veteran, without violating any state or local equal employment opportunity law.

“I am pleased to sponsor this legislation in the Florida Senate,” said Hays. “This is one small way we may thank our veterans and their families for their sacrifices.”

“We appreciate all that our veterans and their families have sacrificed during their service, and we want to honor them by doing everything we can to help ease their transition into civilian life,” Ingram said. “In addition to encouraging private companies to help our veterans, this legislation also gives employers confidence and an added layer of protection when it comes to their employment decisions.”

“What better way to celebrate freedom and free enterprise than to honor our veterans with a job,” President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Mark Wilson said. “Florida’s veterans are dedicated, skilled workers that our country has invested in, and this presents a tremendous opportunity for Florida’s private-sector businesses looking to fill jobs with trained professionals.”

While private employers could potentially offer a preference to veterans under current law, Senate Bill 970 and the companion House Bill 873 explicitly protect non-public businesses from Equal Employment disparate impact claims. Florida follows Washington, Minnesota, Arkansas and North Carolina in providing similar private sector exceptions.

Comments

4 Responses to “Ingram, Hays File Veterans’ Employment Preference Bill”

  1. Bill Graham on February 25th, 2014 7:50 pm

    The law, as it currently is, has no teeth. When applying for an eligible public position, a “more qualified” non-vet applicant can be hired because the “more qualified” is subjective. No way to prove

  2. Joe on February 13th, 2014 11:07 am

    What about single moms???
    Really?
    The two are in no way the same unless the single mom happened to wear the uniform at some point and serve her country. Being a single parent today is so common place, I say single parent because saying single mom is very sexist, I was a single dad! many choose to have children without marriage, others it is simply a mistake, and I recognize there are those who are widowed., but this legislation would offer preference for those widows who’s spouses were veterans (killed or disabled)
    This is a good thing.

  3. Jane on February 13th, 2014 4:43 am

    I am all for the veterans, but what about the single mom? Does she get a break too? And how about students who have just graduated? The older working folks who can’t get a job because they are “too old”? Where does this stop? I think this is discriminating in a different way. People here already give veterans a job preference over the rest of the population.

  4. John Gunther on February 12th, 2014 3:46 pm

    Good job! This area has a tough job market. What a veteran has in education, drive and determination is overshadowed by his/her lack of a viable employment network in one’s own hometown. This legislation will help level the field. Thank you for helping veterans.