Legislators have vowed to make jobs this session‘s top priority--and jobs for veterans are in the forefront.

House Speaker Brian Bosma says unemployment among post-9/11 veterans is 20 percent more than double the overall rate.

Captain Catalina Carrasco runs the Indiana National Guard‘s employment coordination program to match troops with jobs.

He says soldiers who join the military straight out of high school find that employers don‘t view their military experience as an adequate substitute for a college degree.

Legislators have added a requirement for a proposed state roundtable on job training, specifically instructing the panel to consult veterans‘ groups.

And the House has unanimously approved a bill to make it easier for military medics to be certified as paramedics.  

Governor Pence kicked off the focus on vets with a Day One executive order setting a goal of awarding three-percent of state contracts to businesses owned by veterans.

A Senate committee has recommended boosting that goal to 10-percent, and allowing state agencies to set aside some contracts exclusively for veteran-owned businesses.