BENTONVILLE — Veterans seeking work in Arkansas have a better chance now of landing a job with the passage of legislation giving employers legal protection if they adopt a veterans preference policy.
Thomas Dunlap, human resources specialist with Benton County, promoted the bill that became Act 598 of 2013 and helped steer it through the state Legislature. State Rep. Sue Scott, R-Rogers, sponsored the bill.
At A Glance
About The Act
Act 598 of 2013, an act to permit a private employer or a local government employer to have a voluntary veterans preference employment policy, was signed into law by Gov. Mike Beebe on April 4.
Source: Staff Report
Dunlap, who serves as federal legislative affairs director for the Arkansas Society for Human Resources Management, said he was introduced to the idea of states providing private employers the same opportunity federal and state governments have when hiring veterans. Both federal and state governments are subject to mandatory veterans preference laws, Dunlap said, but Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits voluntary veterans preference as discriminatory, Dunlap said, but a subsection of the Civil Rights Act permits states to enact laws creating special preference for veterans.
“I was at a conference two years ago and met David Black, who is legislative director for Washington state,” Dunlap said. “He told me Washington had just passed a law for veterans preference. I got real excited about it and thought it would be a perfect fit for Arkansas. It was at the tail end of the 2011 session in Arkansas, so there wasn’t time to get anything done immediately. We had to wait two years to get something passed in this session.”
Dunlap said veterans are experiencing difficulties finding work after ending their military service, with some estimates putting the unemployment rate for younger veterans as high as 30 percent.
“That’s just not right,” Dunlap said. “We need to do a better job of bringing these men and women back home and putting them to work.”
Dunlap enlisted Scott as a sponsor and sought the help of Aaron Mankin, 31, of Rogers, in crafting the bill. Mankin, a Marine Corps veteran, said he served in public affairs while in the Corps and now works as a spokesman for nonprofit groups and as an advocate for veterans.
“Thomas asked me at school one morning if I would help him with some of the language,” Mankin said. “It’s very exciting. What the act does is it creates a registry of employers who adopt a veterans preference policy and allows veterans to find them and helps those businesses to connect with veterans. It’s something only two other states have done.”
Stele James, Benton County’s Veterans Services Officer, was also asked to help on the project.
“Thomas came in here one day and asked if I could help him define what a veteran is,” James said.
James worked with Dunlap to make sure the proposed bill would mesh with existing rules and regulations. The act provides that veterans who can present a DD-214, their certificate of release or discharge from active duty, are eligible for a veterans preference policy. The use of a veterans preference policy by any business is voluntary.
Mankin said allowing businesses to adopt a veterans preference policy and establishing the registry through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services should benefit both businesses and veterans.
“This puts businesses in touch with individuals who have proven themselves as leaders,” he said. “They are responsible. They are goal-oriented. It’s across-the-board beneficial for everyone.
“What the law does is it allows employers the opportunity to volunteer to serve their country by adopting a voluntary veterans preference policy.”