RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Veterans of the United States Armed Forces have served their Country with distinction and courage. It is incumbent upon government to assist these loyal Americans as they return from their tours of duty by making the transition back to civilian life as easy as possible; and
WHEREAS, On February 12, 2013 the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 235, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013. This bipartisan piece of legislation was sponsored by Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Republican from Illinois and Congresswoman Lois Capps, Democrat from California; and
WHEREAS, The bill is currently pending in the United States Senate; and
WHEREAS, This legislation would help states streamline their certification requirements for those veterans with military emergency medical technician training who seek to continue their careers as EMTs in the civilian workforce; and
WHEREAS, Unfortunately, many states currently do not recognize the training received by members of the military as applicable to the licensing requirements of the civilian health care system for EMTs or paramedics; and
WHEREAS, The Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act restructures the state requirements and makes the process more efficient, enabling veterans with military EMT training to become certified civilian EMTs much sooner; and
WHEREAS, Men and women ofthe armed forces receive some ofthe best technical training in emergency medicine in the world. Military EMTs prove their skills every day on the battlefield, dealing with severe wounds in a high-stakes environment that prepares them well for civilian EMT work. When veterans return home, however, they are often required to begin their training again at the most basic level to receive certification for civilian jobs as EMTs. This unnecessarily keeps veterans out of the workforce and withholds valuable medical personnel from our communities; and
WHEREAS, The men and women of the United States Armed Forces deserve our respect for their valiant efforts in support of our security. It is now our turn to make their lives secure by insuring that ample job opportunities are available to them when their service is completed. H.R. 235 goes a long way toward that end by giving a well-deserved boost to those personnel who have served as military EMTs; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this eighth day of May, 2013, do hereby call upon the United States Congress to pass H.R. 235, which will increase job opportunities for veterans; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Illinois Delegation to the United States Congress as a sign of our dedication to and support of this important legislation.