(LEX 18) — The Kentucky General Assembly has officially established a Veterans Caucus, at the request of state Representative Adam Moore, a combat veteran.
Moore hopes through work done by the caucus, Kentucky will become the most military and veteran friendly state in the nation.
“I asked legislative leaders to take this step because, as much as Kentucky has done for our veterans over the years, there is always room for improvement,” Moore said.
“I believe our veterans deserve their own caucus,” he added. “While we do have permanent committees dedicated to those who have served our country or continue to do so, this is meant to help drive the legislation those committees will consider and hopefully pass. This caucus and those committees will really complement each other.”
Moore believes there is a lot of work that can be done as there are many struggles that veterans face.
“They've given their time, their blood, their sweat, their tears to serve their country. So, we should be serving them in any way we can as well,” Moore said. “I've seen so many people who have needs that aren't being met, who are dealing with PTSD or other issues that come out of that."
"I want to make sure the people who served with me, alongside me, are getting those things back from their government, from their society, that they have put their lives on the line to defend and protect," he added.
One of the key initiatives Moore is advocating for is a workforce program aimed at helping veterans seamlessly transition their military experience and certifications into civilian careers. He also wants to create incentives for veterans to relocate to Kentucky, either to work or establish businesses.
“We're calling it Project Welcome and it's going to be a lot of work, but we want to build out something like that that lets every veteran know whether you want to be a small business owner here, whether you want to retire here, or you want to work your next job here, we are going to have the tools and the roadmap here for you to do just that,” Moore said.
