New Windsor, NY, August 30, 2010 -- With nearly 20 percent of recent Hudson Valley veterans under the age 30 looking for work, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today joined with Rep. John Hall (D-NY) and Hudson Valley veterans at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor to announce a new effort to make tax credits for businesses that hire recent veterans permanent. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit that Senator Gillibrand helped establish last year encourages businesses to hire recently-returned troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in exchange for a 40 percent credit on the first $6,000 paid to a veteran. The tax credit is set to expire at the end of this year.