By REP. DEREK KILMER
D-Bremerton

Our region has a lot to be thankful for. Along with Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the Seahawks, part of what makes the area special are the tens of thousands of military members and veterans who call it home.

Those are big numbers. They underscore that in our neck of the woods members of the military are our family, friends, and neighbors.

They also are a critical part of the local economy, doing everything from creating small businesses to bringing their unique work ethic and skills to employers looking to fill jobs.

Just as they had our backs while serving our country, it’s important that we have theirs as they transition from the military into civilian employment.

Many of us know or have heard firsthand how hard this transition can be. Thankfully, in our region employers understand that servicemembers have the training and experience to be able to do a job well. In addition, we’ve seen institutions like Olympic College provide extraordinary opportunities for veterans to continue their training.

As the representative for our area, I’ve made it a high priority to remove barriers that might stand in the way of a military member connecting to civilian employment. I’ve pushed legislation to strengthen non-discrimination protections for veterans, to ensure that prior military experience is counted when someone seeks a professional license or college credit, and other efforts.

But late last year, I met with a Navy leader who raised a concern I hadn’t heard before. “At a time when Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is trying to fill openings,” he asked, “why is a servicemember who recently retired in danger of having to wait six months to apply?”

To be clear, the shipyard does a fantastic job of hiring veterans. But an outdated policy from the 1960s bans retiring members of any branch of the U.S. military from seeking employment in civil defense jobs until 180 days after their service ends.

In 2016, it makes little sense to ask a retiring sailor to wait months only to find that a job for which they were qualified was already filled by the time their waiting period is over. What’s more, in addition to be a job generator for our region, the shipyard plays a critical role in keeping our Navy’s fleet operating at a high level.

It would make sense for Navy personnel, who have been on deployments and know their way around the vessels at the shipyard, to be given a chance to compete for jobs at the facilities — especially since the shipyard has announced so many openings in the past two years.

Luckily, this outdated rule has been temporarily lifted by Presidents Bush and Obama since 9/11. In fact, since 2001, 40,449 retirees have been hired as full time employees within 180 days of leaving the military.

But in less than one year, the rule is scheduled to go back into effect.

It’s time to provide certainty and have hiring policies that reflect the 21st Century. That’s why I have introduced bipartisan legislation to get rid of this policy for the next five years while at the same time addressing several long-term challenges faced by the civil service.

I believe that easing the path from the military to civilian employment and supporting equal opportunities for a career in the civil service are not mutually exclusive. Both must be done to maintain our military forces.

I want to make sure that every qualified candidate can continue to fairly compete for jobs. With that in mind, the bill would make sure that all eligible candidates can find out about job openings by requiring vacancy announcements to be published for at least 10 days to increase competition and better ensure the right person gets the job. That’s good for taxpayers and our national security. The bill also includes safeguards to ensure that someone does not create a job for himself or herself.

I think we can all agree that punishing folks who want to continue serving their county by prohibiting them from applying for jobs at our largest employer for 180 days after they become veterans is not the right approach. We want transitioning servicemembers to be employed — not unemployed.

Working together to support veterans is what our community is all about and why I am so excited to push for this bipartisan legislation in Congress.

— Derek Kilmer, D-Bremerton, represents the 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.