McCaskill seeks answers on whether contractors are hiring military veterans

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today continued her effort to strengthen employment among the nation’s military veterans, asking the U.S. Department of Labor for information on how government contractors are fulfilling their legal requirement to employ and promote veterans.

Under federal law, companies with government contracts must submit reports, known as VETS-100 or VETS-100A, which detail the number of new hires and current employees who are veterans. Contractors are also required to list certain job openings with employment service delivery systems and to create and maintain affirmative action plans for specified groups of veterans. The Secretary of Labor is then required to submit an annual report to Congress regarding contractors’ compliance with those requirements, and their impact on the employment of veterans

In a letter to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, McCaskill requested detailed information on contractor hiring practices for the past ten years in order to determine whether contractors have been complying with the law.

McCaskill, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Contractor Oversight, expressed concern that contractors may not be accurately reporting their employment numbers. McCaskill said that requiring contractors to give preference to veterans seeking employment, particularly those who have recently returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a critical and timely issue.

Since joining the U.S. Senate, McCaskill has been an outspoken advocate for the nation’s troops and veterans. Last week, McCaskill helped pass the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which was approved by the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation incentivizes the hiring of unemployed veterans by providing businesses tax credits.

McCaskill’s letter to the Secretary of Labor is available on her website, HERE.

New Law Allows Military Spouses who Relocate to File for Unemployment

A new law passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor went into effect yesterday, allowing the spouse of an active member of the military to be eligible for unemployment benefits if accompanying the spouse in the event of a military transfer.

“Missouri is the proud home of Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force base. Each year, our military families face moves from base to base for the good of our national defense and these transfers cause unique financial pressures. In many cases, the non-military spouses may have to leave their employment due to a military transfer. Generally, individuals in Missouri that voluntarily quit their employment to move with a spouse are ineligible for unemployment benefits. This new law recognizes that spouses of military service personnel who must quit their jobs due to a military transfer are not quitting voluntarily but for the good of our nation. With this new law, the state is recognizing the sacrifices of military families who are relocating,” says Department Director Larry Rebman.

Robyn McCullem, mother of two small children, is relocating from Missouri to join her husband Private First Class Ryan McCullem in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. She has worked as a Distributor Sales Consultant for the past three years. Her last day was Friday and she filed her unemployment claim yesterday. “Being a military spouse presents its own unique challenges when it comes to having a full-time career. Leaving behind a job you love and uprooting your family isn’t voluntary when you are a military spouse,” says McCullem. “It’s nice to know our state supports those who have to make big career sacrifices and transitions to be with their soldier as they continue serving our country.”

House Bill 136 was sponsored by House Representative David Day, of Dixon. Rep. Day serves as Chairman of the House Veterans Committee. Prior to this new law, military spouses were not able to collect unemployment in Missouri if they left their job to travel with their spouse to a new duty station. Missouri is the 39th state to allow military spouses to file for unemployment benefits until they find full-time work.

Based on 2010 figures, this new law will provide benefits to more than 200 military families a year. For more information or to file for unemployment benefits, visit www.moclaim.mo.gov

Senators Introduce Legislation to Assist Victims of Sexual Trauma in Military

Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, along with her colleagues Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), introduced bipartisan legislation to assist victims of sexual trauma in the military. The Support for Survivors Act would assist servicemembers who were victims of sexual trauma during their military service by requiring the Department of Defense to ensure life-long storage of all documents connected with reports of sexual assaults and sexual harassment across the military branches. The legislation would also prevent the military from destroying any records relating to sexual assault.

“The men and women in our military put their lives on the line for our country and they deserve to know that the military is looking out for them in their time of need. Too often victims of sexual assault don’t report the crime because they are afraid of retribution or that nothing will be done. We must do better. This legislation will provide victims with the tools they need to seek justice and guarantee them the confidentiality they deserve throughout the process,” McCaskill said.

Earlier this year, following a series of stories in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about the incidence of sexual assault at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, McCaskill sent a letter to Major General David Quantock, the Commanding General at Fort Leonard Wood, and subsequently met privately with him in her Washington office. Quantock has assured McCaskill that the base is taking the allegations seriously and has brought in a special prosecutor to handle sexual assault cases, among other changes. McCaskill also continued to follow this issue by questioning top officials from the Pentagon on what the military is doing broadly to address the issue of sexual assault at a hearing of the Armed Services Committee.

Currently, there is no coordinated policy across the service branches to ensure the preservation of medical and other reports connected with sexual trauma. Each service branch has been left to develop its own policy, resulting in inconsistent recordkeeping and records often being destroyed. Long-term preservation of records currently helps a victim pursue legal action and records can also be used as evidence in a later crime involving the same perpetrator.

In recent years, there has been an increase in reports of sexual assaults in the military. According to the Department of Defense, there were 3,158 official reports of sexual assaults in the military in 2010. Because most incidents are not reported to a military authority, the Pentagon estimates this number represents only 13 to 14 percent of total assaults – making the total actual number of sexual assaults in the military potentially as high as 20,000 in 2010.

Research has shown that sexual trauma not only hurts the victims, but can also take a toll on their fellow servicemembers by severely undermining military cohesion, morale, and overall force effectiveness.

The Support for Survivors Act would:

· Require the Department of Defense to ensure the preservation of documents connected with reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military.

· Ensure full privacy and identity protection for both the victim and the perpetrator, if known.

· Ensure life-long access by the servicemember to his or her personal documents.

· Grant the VA access to documents only at the request of a servicemember, for the purpose of assisting with the processing of a disability compensation claim.

· Allow the Department of Defense to review the data (but not the names of the individuals mentioned in the reports) to improve research and reporting.

House votes to restrict funeral protest in wake of Supreme Court ruling

One day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled funeral protests are protected free speech, Missouri's House voted to restrict protesting. Nearly 90 percent of representatives voted to make it a crime to protest within 500 feet of funeral ceremonies. Another of the bill's restrictions prohibits protesters from picketing two hours before and after funerals. If passed, it would be a crime in Missouri to violate these restrictions. Rep. Jeanette Oxford, D-St. Louis, was one of the few to vote against the measure and criticized her colleagues for voting for the bill. "If we'll go back to our districts and we'll work with our constituents to help them understand that what we're doing here is protecting the Constitution when we vote no, our constituents are grown-ups and they'll understand that," she said. Oxford urged her fellow lawmakers to protect free speech, even if it is unpopular. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Ward Franz, R-West Plains, said the bill would protect grieving families. "It's a simple idea to allow families to mourn the loss of a loved one in peace and to give them a chance to have some closure in a very difficult time," Franz said to overwhelming approval from the House. The high court ruled against a group who said funeral protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka inflicted emotional pain on them. Just two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Missouri law restricting funeral protesting. Rep. Mike Colona, D-St. Louis, said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling has very little to do with this bill. "That case yesterday dealt with a civil lawsuit where an individual was suing the Westboro Baptist Church not for breaking a law, but for intentional infliction of emotional distress," Colona said. The bill will go to the Senate next.

Military "Chaplain" says soldier's rape must have been God's will.

This "chaplain" was hired with your tax dollars. What processes does the Pentagon have to keep sick individuals like this one out of positions of trust and responsibility? The people who protect our country deserve better than to worry that they will be a victim of some sexual predator and then to have to deal with folks who think rape is God's will.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/18/military-chaplain-soldiers-rape-must-have-been-gods-will/