AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate on Tuesday unanimously gave initial approval to a bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Tuttle of Sanford to allow private employers to adopt a veterans’ preference employment policy if they choose to do so.
“Maine has the fourth-highest percentage of veterans in the nation, and many are out of work,” said Tuttle. “It is imperative that we help Maine veterans find work when they come home.”
The bill, LD 1832, An Act To Increase Employment Opportunities for Veterans, faces further votes in the House and Senate. It would allow private employers to adopt a veterans’ preference in their hiring practices. No private employers would be forced to adopt the preference, but if they chose to do so, they will not be penalized.
The federal government has had a veterans’ hiring preference for employment since shortly after the Civil War. Forty states, including Maine, already give veterans’ hiring preference in state government employment.
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