Massachusetts Senator introduces legislation to increase veteran employment

As veterans return from service in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other places, finding a job can prove difficult and seemingly impossible, especially in today's struggling economy. However, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has introduced legislation that would boost both small business hiring and veteran employment.

If passed, the legislation would provide small businesses that hire National Guard and Reserves with tax credits and breaks. Currently, 20 percent of Guard members are unemployed

"Our veterans sacrifice so much for us and ask for little in return. This bipartisan legislation will help put our heroes back to work, and I am proud to be introducing it along with my colleagues," Brown told the Boston Globe.

Part of the impetus for introducing the legislation, which is sponsored by Kansas Republican Representative Lynn Jenkins and Democrat Kay Hagan of North Carolina, was the alarming suicide rate among returning soldiers. Economic troubles have become an increasingly cited factor in the increasing number of self-inflicted deaths.

In 2010, the number of suicides rose to almost one a day, totaling 343 in 2010, CNN reports. This figure represents an increase of 69 over 2009.