Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawai‘i-02) and Rep. Sean Duffy (Wisc.-07) introduced the Heroes Entering Roles of Education Service (HEROES) Act on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The legislation would provide an expanded pipeline for servicemembers and veterans to transition into school careers such as teachers as well as nurses, counselors, teacher’s aides, librarians, administrators, school resource officers and other support personnel.

“Millions of veterans have returned home since 9/11 and bring with them a wealth of experience and technical skills from which our children and communities can benefit. At the same time, there are schools across the nation who face a shortage of qualified personnel,” said Rep. Gabbard. “This bill helps our veterans connect to these employment opportunities while bringing their mission of service over self to schools in need.”

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“Veterans possess vital leadership experience that can be passed on to our children, greatly enhancing the quality of their education. It is important we recognize the impact that non-teachers employed at schools have on a student’s overall education experience,” said Rep. Duffy. “We should be helping veterans gain meaningful employment in these careers, especially given the added benefit their tactical training brings to campus security.”

“There is no doubt that our nation’s classrooms are in need of proper role models who exude ethical behavior and tested leadership traits. Not only do these classrooms need quality teachers, but they heavily rely on quality support staff such as administrators, nurses, librarians, counselors, and other workers,” said Sgt. Maj. U.S. Army (ret.) Frank Yoakum, Executive Director of EANGUS. “Veterans can definitely fill this need and the HEROES Act affords them such an opportunity. EANGUS gladly adds its endorsement to this legislation.”

Rep. Gabbard has prioritized veteran education and job opportunities. She led legislation that expanded student loan and student loan forgiveness programs for veterans, supported apprenticeship opportunities and expanded benefits to support apprenticeship programs, promoting private sector recruitment/hiring/retention of veterans, expand/extend the GI Bill, and provide tax credits for veteran-owned small businesses.