Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Benefits Poster Sb39 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Witnesses back bill to create workplace poster listing veterans benefits; committee hears testimony on Senate Bill 39
Summary
Witnesses including United Steelworkers members testified in support of Senate Bill 39, which would direct state departments to develop an informational poster on veterans benefits and provide free copies to employers on request; committee members questioned whether posting should be mandatory.
The Veterans and Military Development Committee heard testimony in support of Senate Bill 39, a proposal that would have the Ohio Departments of Commerce and Veterans Services create a poster listing available veterans benefits and provide a free copy to any employer that requests one.
James Crawford, unit president of United Steelworkers Local 3372-07 and a Marine Corps veteran who works at Hunt Valve in Salem, Ohio, testified in support of the bill on behalf of the United Steelworkers. “Having trustworthy information jointly developed by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and Commerce will help veterans cut through all the clutter out there,” Crawford said. He described difficulty he and other veterans faced in learning how to use GI Bill benefits and VA home loans after service and said a workplace poster would give veterans a visible, vetted place to find resources when they are ready.
Bobbie Troilio, a veteran and representative of United Steelworkers Local 2737’s Veterans of Steel program, also testified. Troilio said Ohio has about 730,000 veterans and cited a 2021 veteran suicide count of 242 to underscore the need for accessible information and crisis resources. She described her own delayed access to VA benefits and said a workplace poster “could make a huge impact” for veterans who otherwise do not know where to turn.
Under the language described at the hearing, the poster must include contact and website information for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line; information on substance abuse and mental health treatment; education, workforce and training resources; tax benefits and exemptions; armed-forces designation on Ohio driver’s licenses or ID cards; unemployment benefits and eligibility; legal services; and other benefits or services as determined by the directors of the two state departments. Crawford said 11 other states have enacted similar legislation and urged support; he listed New York, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Indiana, Virginia, Utah, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Illinois as examples.
Members asked questions about the bill’s scope. Representative Ranking Member Hall asked whether laws in other states require employers to post the information, noting that the language of SB39 appears to make poster distribution optional and available “at the request” of an employer. Crawford said he did not know whether other states require posting and offered to provide additional information later. Representative Willis, who chairs a veterans caucus, invited witnesses and veteran organizations to engage with the caucus on ways to improve legislation.
No formal committee action on SB39 was recorded at the meeting; the session consisted of the third hearing and witness testimony. Chair Richardson thanked the witnesses and closed the record after members had an opportunity to ask questions.
