This legislation would correct a court decision (Morse v. MSPB) which concluded that, although FAA and TSA must apply veterans preference in hiring, veterans who apply for jobs at FAA and TSA are not entitled to the appeal rights that apply in other agencies. Senator Akaka’s bill would give these veterans the right to appeal alleged violations of their veterans’ preference rights to the Department of Labor, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and federal court.
“As the dedicated men and women who serve in our military return home from overseas, we must support them when they seek to continue their service as civilian federal employees,” said Senator Akaka. “Veterans possess a wealth of training and skill that can be valuable to federal agencies. The FAA, TSA, and all federal agencies must honor the sacrifices made by veterans and their families by complying with veterans’ preference laws.”
Senator Akaka chairs the federal workforce subcommittee and is a member of the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees.