Greitens calls for new veterans hiring law
Gov. Eric Greitens says he wants lawmakers to send him a bill to protect private employers from legal challenges if they give preference to veterans in hiring and promotions.
“It is a step toward helping veterans,” said Cary Kellett, the Department of Missouri commander for the American Legion. “It’s not so much the larger businesses but the smaller businesses, the ones that might be afraid of a lawsuit one way or the other because they don’t have the money for the big corporate law offices to support them.”
“This legislation that protects employers that give preference to veterans would be welcomed by the business community,” said Ray McCarty, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri. “Unfortunately, plaintiffs’ attorneys would prefer establishing a new ‘protected class’ for veterans, which is both unnecessary and dangerous for employers. This is a much stronger approach that allows employers to hire more veterans without the threat of enriching plaintiffs’ attorneys and opening themselves up to lawsuits,” said McCarty.
The proposed policy change is part of Greitens’ larger push to, “make this the best state in the country for veterans.”