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In February, Office of Personnel Management Director James B. King told the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on the Civil Service, which Mica chairs, that the administration believes "strengthening employment opportunities for veterans is a worthy goal." King said he would support Mica's proposal if it became law.
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The House of Representatives earlier this month passed a bill that would give special rights to veterans seeking jobs in the federal government and to veterans facing agency layoffs.
The Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act of 1997, sponsored by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., would:
- Give veterans equal footing with career civil servants when competing for federal jobs.
- Extend veterans' preference to jobs in the White House and the legislative and judicial branches.
- Give veterans special status during reductions in force, including priority job placement assistance.
- Strengthen the system that veterans use to seek redress when they allege agencies have violated their rights.
- Extend veterans' preference to U.S. military personnel serving in the former Yugoslav republics.
The bill was referred to the Senate and is pending before the Senate's federal services subcommittee, headed by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
The House passed a similar bill last year but the Senate never acted on it.
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