A bill providing various financial and professional incentives for military veterans passed the Iowa House of Representatives last week as part of the Home Base Iowa initiative.

The initiative is a private-public partnership that aims to make Iowa an attractive place for veterans to work and live. Senate File 303 was passed on a bipartisan 93-2 vote and has moved on to the Senate for approval.

The Senate had previously passed portions of the bill and were sent to the House. The current version of the bill was drafted by House members.

One of the key provisions in the bill would provide for state income tax exemption on U.S. military pensions. Other provisions provide legal protection for private businesses giving preferential treatment to veterans in hiring, assistance for veteran home ownership, a directive to account for military experience in state occupational licensing and a policy for granting academic credit in lieu of military training at state educational institutes.

Veterans are currently eligible for college credit at various institutions for some of the professional trainings they previously received.

“They are looking at a consistent approach to how we handle military transfer credits,” said Jathan Chicoine, veteran services coordinator at Iowa State. “Just because military transfer credits transfer into an institution of higher education doesn’t necessarily mean those will automatically apply towards their program of study or fulfill a requirement.”

Chicoine said it is currently up to individual colleges at Iowa State as to how those credits are applied for a particular program, depending on individual experiences.

Gov. Terry Branstad announced the initiative in November 2013 and outlined his plan during the Condition of the State address.

“Recognizing that the Department of Defense was significantly scaling back on our nation’s defense, we recognized that there was going to be an incredible amount of service members leaving active military and transitioning into civilian life,” said Jimmy Centers, communications director for Branstad.

“We believe that this bill will help send a strong signal that Iowa stands ready to attract veterans to the state and match them with good high-paying jobs … as they enter civilian life.” He said the governor has urged the Senate to pass the bill and implement it this legislative session.

Democrats are not fully on board with giving preferential treatment to veterans as they say it might affect minority representation. Centers said the administration sees no reason in declining this treatment as government jobs in the state already give preferential treatment.  

Greene County in west central Iowa has been designated as the first Home Base Iowa community in the state. Centers said the bill also aims to fill in the middle-skills job gap in the state by hiring veterans. These jobs often require more than a high school education but not a four-year college degree.

Iowa Business Council, a nonprofit organization of major employers, has set a goal of hiring 2,500 veterans over the next five years.

“There are a lot of people that recognize the skill sets and training that veterans bring,” Chicoine said. “We are excited to hear that there is a focus on a conversation at a higher level.”