Phila. City Council focusing on jobs for veterans

Philadelphia City Council took up two measures Thursday aimed at employing veterans: one that gives tax breaks to vets and the other to companies that hire them.

Under a newly proposed bill, veterans who become police officers, firefighters, or paramedics would be eligible for a tax break amounting to about $1,100 for a person earning $46,000 annually.

The bill, sent to a subcommittee for review, is the first introduced by Councilman Ed Neilson since he took office in August. Neilson said Thursday that it would help fill any potential void left from officers retiring through the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), a program that allows workers to set their retirement years in advance and receive their full pension when they retire. "We need to attract more qualified applicants," Neilson said.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, after learning about the bill, said that veterans tend to transition well to police work and that he would support anything that would help the department's recruiting efforts.

Joe Eastman, who works with homeless veterans through the local nonprofit the Veterans Group, said he keeps tabs on veterans legislation around the country and called this initiative creative.

"This is a great way to take veterans that already have the DNA to serve and give them a greater incentive to serve," he said.

Mayor Nutter's press secretary, Mark McDonald, said the administration would comment on the legislation when it is heard in committee.

Nutter has attempted to address a spike in employees expected to retire this year through DROP by offering a one-year extension. The office said the decision was made in part because of several large events happening in the city next year, including the visit of Pope Francis in September.

Council on Thursday also passed an expansion of an existing tax break for companies that hire veterans. The legislation, originally proposed by Councilman David Oh, took effect in July 2012.

But not a single employer has taken advantage of it, according to Oh's office. (A veteran must be employed for a year before the employer can apply.)

The expansion, which passed unanimously Thursday and will take effect July 1, 2015, increases the incentive for each full-time veteran employed from $2,000 to $5,000 and for a part-time employee from $1,000 to $2,500. Employers can receive the credit for 36 months instead of 24 months. The credit is available for veterans who received an honorable discharge from any branch of the armed forces. The same guideline applies to the legislation proposed by Neilson.