If you've fought for our country, then you shouldn't have to fight discrimination.

That's the argument first-year U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer is making in congress.

Spurred by stories of soldiers being denied housing or refused jobs because of their military background, Kilmer, a democrat from Gig Harbor, introduced a bill last week that would protect the military from such discrimination.

"If you've served, then your veteran status shouldn't be used against you when you seek employment or seek housing," Kilmer said.

Several years ago while still a Washington state legislator, Kilmer introduced the same bill at the state level, which eventually passed and banned housing and employment discrimination against servicemen in the state. Kilmer introduced the same bill in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

It's the same protection minorities have under anti-discrimination laws.

As it stands now on the federal level, if a landlord or potential employer worried a soldier is going to be deployed or worried there's something emotionally wrong with the soldier and refuses housing or employment, there's nothing in place that would allow that soldier to file a complaint.

Kilmer couldn't say how extensive such discrimination is because there are no statistics since no study has been done on the issue. He said the evidence is "anecdotal."

"We haven't measured the extent of the problem, but we have anecdotal evidence that discrimination is happening," Kilmer said. "That suggests to me that there's a problem that needs solving."

The recent unemployment rate is higher among veteran military (9.9) than the general public (7.9). Kilmer sees a connection to discrimination.

"If you fight for our country, you shouldn't have to fight for a job when you come home," Kilmer said.

Kilmer admits there are concessions given to veteran military seeking employment. Vets automatically get points added to their applications for state jobs. Employers like Amazon and Boeing recruit veterans. Military today receive a drastically different welcome home than what Vietnam vets got.

"There are a lot of great employers out there who are making active efforts to employ people who have served our country in the military," Kilmer said. "At the same time, when you hear some of these stories, you can see that there is a problem."

In Congress, Kilmer is working on the bipartisan legislation with co-sponsors Ohio representative Jim Renacci, Illinois representative Tammy Duckworth and Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal.

"Shamefully, veterans who served our country return from deployment and too often struggle to find a job or a place to call home," Blumenthal said. "By making military service a protected status, this bill will ensure that those who sacrificed to keep us safe are not discriminated against when they return home."

If this bill becomes a law, military veterans could file a grievances to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if they felt they were discriminated against by an employer or by a landlord. Currently, there is no place for veterans to make complaints.

AMVETS national executive director Stewart Hickey is supportive of Kilmer's bill, which is called the Veterans and Servicemembers Employment Rights and Housing Act. Hickey said the bill is long overdue.

"The same rights these veterans fought to preserve for their fellow Americans will now be afforded to them upon passage of this bill," said Hickey.

AMVETS, based in Maryland, is a national organization that lobbies for the protection of employment and housing for military veterans. In addition to AMVETS, the bill is endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Guard Association of the United States.

"I'd love to see the federal government as much as possible take down as many barriers for those who have served our country," Kilmer said.

Kilmer said it's too early to put a timeline on the bill and when it will be voted on.

"We're certainly putting a lot of focus on this," Kilmer said.