Crane reintroduces ‘Hire Veterans Act’ to fill land management needs

U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) wants to see more veterans working in parks and forests.

Last week, Crane and Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) reintroduced the “Hire Veterans Act,” a bill that would establish a five-year pilot program that would recruit and refer veterans for employment at federal land management agencies.

Specifically, HR 1242 would require the Office of Personnel Management to identify and recruit veterans for employment with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Crane sponsored a similar bill, HR 7490, last year but it failed to gain support.

“With this bill, Congress has the opportunity to both streamline the employment process for veterans and better ensure that our natural resources are protected for future generations,” the second-term lawmaker from Oro Valley said in a press release today.

The press release mentioned departments such as USFS have “routinely faced staffing shortages, impacting their operational effectiveness.”

This announcement comes just days after land management departments fired more than 5,200 workers following federal spending cuts imposed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

The Forest Service fired 10% of its staff, NPS fired 1,000 employees and 800 BLM workers were fired.