Last week, the Massachusetts Senate passed groundbreaking legislation aimed at providing greater benefits to veterans, active duty soldiers and military families. The bill should serve as a template for states across the country, as well as the federal government, on the best way to support troops when they return stateside, The Daily News Transcript reports.
Introduced by State Senator Mike Rush, a lieutenant in the United States Navy who served 10 months in Iraq, the so-called Valor Act contains a number of initiatives which help servicemembers in a variety of ways. For instance, it provides funding for the expansion of veteran-owned businesses and also removes obstacles that can make it difficult for military children to transfer between schools in different states.
"This omnibus veterans legislation encompasses some of the very best ideas presented by my colleagues in the Legislature and the veterans of the commonwealth to assist veterans and their families with employment, education and services at a time when we are seeing an increase of military men and women returning from deployment overseas," said Rush in a press release.
The Valor Act is one of many similar pieces of legislation making its way through state governments across the country. On a national level, the Vow to Hire Heroes Act has been one of the most beneficial bills. It provides education and training opportunities to vets to help lower unemployment.