Governor signs bill for disabled-veteran business owners

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Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation Friday directing state agencies to put 1 percent of their spending on construction and procurement contracts toward companies owned by disabled veterans.

The governor signed Senate Bill 370 in King, the location of a state-run veterans home. The legislation does not set a requirement for state spending, but rather a benchmark that agencies can use to track their progress.

Wisconsin has a similar goal directing 5 percent of state spending on construction and procurement contracts to minority-owned businesses. Proponents of SB 370 have noted the high rate of unemployment found among certain veterans groups and said that some employers and businesses are reluctant to hire veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released March 27, the unemployment rate for men who served during the Gulf War II period, or those who have joined the military since September 2001, was 8.8 percent in 2013; the rate for nonveteran men in the same year was 6.8 percent. Follow @TDR_WLJDan