The House Committee on Oversight and Reform recently approved a bipartisan bill that would increase employment opportunities for children of fallen service members.
Children of military service members who fell in battle or were permanently disabled while honorably serving in military conflicts are known as Gold Star Children, according to Military.com.
H.R. 3367, titled the Gold Star Children Act, was sponsored by Texas State Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano) and would place Gold Star Children at the top of the hiring ladder for federal employment, according to FOX News.
“Excited the Gold Star Children Act has passed @GOPoversight and eager to see it voted on in the House,” Taylor wrote in a May 27 Twitter post. “We can never repay the debt owed to families of fallen service members but this bill can support those left to bear the sorrow of the ultimate sacrifice.”
Eligible children of service members would receive additional points on the 100 point federal employment assessment scale. These benefits were already available to disabled veterans, but now extends to their children as well.
“The Gold Star Children’s Act would honor the sacrifices of our fallen service members as well as permanently and totally disabled veterans by extending federal hiring preferences to their children,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the committee’s chair, said in support of the bill, reported FOX News. “These children have suffered tremendously – the loss of a parent is a traumatic experience and something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), the ranking member of the committee, also voiced his support for the bill.
“This bill will help America honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice by ensuring that children are able to bring their experiences, talents and skills to the American people’s federal government,” Comer said, according to Military.com. “It’s clear that the children of veterans who die or become disabled as a result of their service in the armed forces will face incredible hardships. They have endured a trauma that our country should never forget.”
According to data from Taylor’s office, there are currently 15,000 U.S. children who have lost a parent to war.
The Committee also approved S.407, dubbed the Air America Act of 2021, which would qualify the service of Air America employees for the Civil Service Retirement System. Air America is the Central Intelligence Agency’s proprietary airline and its employees conducted military support operations for certain covert operations in Southeast Asia, including Laos and Vietnam, between 1950 and 1976.
