WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the daughter of a World War II veteran and a founding member of the Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus, today voted to advance a bill that would help put more military veterans back work.

"After standing up and serving our country with honor, our veterans are returning home to find their unemployment rate is higher than the national average-and that's unacceptable," McCaskill said. "Today's vote is a step in the right direction towards passing legislation that will give our veterans and their families the help they need to find work. I'm determined to keep up my fight for expanded job opportunities for our returning veterans and I'm hopeful my colleagues will work together and pass this legislation into law."

The Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 would establish a veterans jobs corps to expand local job opportunities for veterans as firefighters and police officers, and employ veterans to maintain, protect, and preserve our public lands. Today's vote will allow the legislation to proceed to debate on the Senate floor, with a final vote on passage of the bill possible later this week.

Recently, McCaskill led a Senate hearing to examine progress made by government contractors in the hiring of military veterans. McCaskill also questioned witnesses on how to address the disproportionate unemployment experienced by members of the National Guard and Reserve.

McCaskill was also a leading advocate for the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which provides tax credits to incentivize employers to hire veterans, extends education benefits available to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and takes steps to help veterans translate their military experience into relevant skills sought by civilian employers. Read more about McCaskill's work for veterans by clicking HERE, and more about her work to expand job opportunities for Missouri, HERE.

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