Congresswoman Grace Napolitano & Congressman Rodney Davis Praise Nearly Unanimous House Passage of Veterans Hiring Initiative
(Washington, DC) Today, H.R. 3114, the Army Corps of Engineers’ Veterans Curation Program (VCP) Act, sponsored by Reps. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA-32) and Rodney Davis (R-IL-13), passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422 to 3.
“Thank you to all of our colleagues in helping us make permanent this worthwhile program by passing this legislation for our veterans,” said Napolitano. “Congressman Davis and I are grateful for this chance to provide our veterans with job training assistance, leading to healing and helping them and their families re-integrate to become more productive. We urge the Senate to work quickly and pass it, so the President may sign it immediately into law.”
“The Veterans Curation Programs throughout the country, including the program near my district in St. Louis, have helped more than 200 veterans build on the skills and training they've received in the military and transition to a new career here at home,” said Davis. "I've seen firsthand the positive impact this program can have in a veteran's life and the great work they've done in the St. Louis area restoring important historical photographs and documents. I appreciate my colleagues' support for this important program.”
The VCP preserves the Nation’s cultural and archeological resources with curatorial services according to professional museum and archival practices, preparing our veterans for employment in these areas. H.R. 3114 permanently authorizes funds for the Corps to hire veterans—some disabled—to carry out these responsibilities. Currently, there are VCP laboratories in Augusta, GA, Washington, DC, and St. Louis, MO, providing veterans with a 5-month program of training and employment in curatorial services. 241 veterans have gone through the program, and there currently is a class of 38 veterans. As a direct result of this program, 139 veterans have obtained permanent employment, and 39 have continued their education, either at colleges, universities, or in certificated programs. The VCP is providing long-term savings to the Corps, and to our nation, through more efficient and effective management of their archeological and historical collections, making this historical collection readily available to the American public.
H.R. 3114 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Ranking Member Napolitano and Davis sit on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which has oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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