First lady Michelle Obama is pushing governors to pass legislation — or, barring that, use their executive powers to bypass legislatures — that would allow veterans to translate their military experience into civilian professional licenses.
Mrs. Obama’s goal, in her “Joining Forces” program, is to ease the path of veterans toward jobs in commercial driving, nursing and emergency medical care, The Associated Press reports. The White House even has legislative language ready for the states to adopt, AP says.
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So far, cost estimates to implement the program aren’t known.
White House officials are claiming the program would actually save money by keeping veterans off the unemployment rolls, though, AP reports.
Mrs. Obama is expected to make details of her plan public when she addresses governors who are meeting at the White House on Monday.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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