The Hire More Heroes Act,  bipartisan legislation to incentivize small businesses to hire veterans while at the same time providing them relief from the Affordable Care Act was unanimously approved by the U.S. House last week.

This legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) and received overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle.  “I am humbled by the amount of support shown by the new Congress for my legislation to help businesses hire more of our nation’s veterans,” said Davis. “The Hire More Heroes Act is a great example of the type of bipartisan, jobs legislation that we will continue to advance on behalf of the American people. It is my hope that this legislation will receive swift action in the Senate and by the President so we can put an end to the gridlock in Washington and put our nation on solid footing for a bright future.”

Aumua Amata in a press release said, “I am a great supporter of both our veterans and small businesses and I am very excited about the passage of this legislation that will help both. Our sons and daughters of American Samoa who have served their country proudly deserve not only our gratitude but every opportunity to contribute to our local economy while providing for their families. Our small businesses also deserve the opportunity to grow and hire well-qualified veterans without hurting their businesses. This is a win-win for everyone and I thank my colleague Rep. Rodney Davis for introducing this legislation,”

She believes in these two areas so much that Congresswoman Aumua Amata is only one of nine freshman representatives serving on three committees – Veterans Affairs, Small Businesses and Natural Resources.

Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) introduced the senate version of the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015. Blunt was the lead sponsor of this bill in the Senate last Congress.

 “Those that have served to protect America deserve every opportunity to find good-paying jobs when they return home,” Blunt said. “I thank Congressman Davis and my colleagues in the House for their support in passing the Hire More Heroes Act, which I introduced in the Senate. I look forward to moving forward on this and other important bills to help create more jobs and opportunity for veterans and all Americans.”

"As we begin the 114th Congress, passage of this bipartisan Hire More Heroes Act, which focuses on empowering and employing our veterans, is the perfect tone to begin the year on. This legislation will help decrease the number of unemployed veterans, and support our small-business owners as they work hard to grow our economy," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) who spoke in support of the bill