The Mid-Atlantic Regional Group
Blinded Veterans Association
Legislative News
November 4, 2009
For all BVA contacts and friends, yesterday the House of Representatives passed some different veterans bills, and included was one that BVA has been actively working on all year, a scholarship program for students enrolled in a university program as Blind Rehabilitative Outpatient Specialists, or Orientation and Mobility Instructor. Previously, this was H.R. 228 and while the bill was first voted out of the subcommittee last April, it was not voted on in the full committee until couple weeks ago.
The Senate version of this is now inside Senate bill S 801, that we are pushing hard to get passed now. It was merged with Senate bill 252 by Senator Akaka last week, making it S 1963. The other vital provision included in S 1963 is elimination of the co-payments for blinded veterans to attend any inpatient blind center. If all this seems like a mixed up process of various items being constantly split or merged into other bills, it often is difficult to track the moving pieces…..!
House of Representatives Votes to Enhance Veteran Protections:
A Congressional “Thank You” for Veterans Day
Washington, D.C. – House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) announced that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve thirteen measures that would improve benefits and services to veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislative action comes as the nation prepares to honor America’s service members and veterans on Veterans Day, November 11.
“This Veterans Day, Members of the House came together to show our support for our service members, veterans, and their families,” said Chairman Filner. “Our nation has a proud legacy of appreciation and gratitude to the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country and we will work tirelessly and boldly to honor those who have served our country.”
Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN) provided his support for the veterans legislative package: “Next week, on Veterans Day, Americans across the country will thank our veterans and honor the selfless service of those who answered our nation’s call to duty in times of peace and war. Today, this Congress stands united to express the sincere gratitude of a nation and to reaffirm our commitment to care for our service members, veterans, and their families.”
1. H.R. 3949 –
Veterans Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act of 2009
(Chairman Filner)
The bill would:
· Clarify current law and require VA to verify that firms are veteran-owned small businesses or service disabled veteran-owned small businesses in order to be listed in the Vendor Information Pages database maintained by the VA Secretary;
· Improve outreach efforts at the VA;
· Establish a scholarship program for students learning to care for veterans with visual impairments;
· Permit a parent whose child gave their life in service to our country to be buried in a national cemetery with that child when their veteran child has no living spouse or children;
· Reauthorize the Veterans Advisory Committee on Education until the end of 2015;
· Expand the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protections to service members seeking to cancel certain service contracts due to a change in duty station where such service is not provided; and,
· Amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to improve the equitable relief available for service members called to active duty, including allowing greater flexibility for family cell phone plans, rental leases, and motor vehicle leases when a service member has changed duty stations or been deployed.
Chairman Filner offered the following statement: “H.R. 3949 is a comprehensive bill that incorporates a number of measures that provide enhanced protections for veteran-owned small business, deployed service members, and family members of veterans. I would like to thank the Members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the many members of Congress for introducing important legislation which has now passed the House.”
2. H.R. 1168 - Veterans Retraining Act of 2009 (Representative Boozman)
H.R. 1168 authorizes $100 million per year to provide a living stipend and moving assistance to veterans who have been unemployed for at least 4 months, who are not eligible for training or education under the Department of Veterans Affairs, and are enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor re-training program.
3. S. 475 - A bill to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to guarantee the equity of spouses of military personnel with regard to matters of residency (Senator Burr)
This bill would provide military spouses with the option to keep the same voting rights and tax conditions as afforded in their home state, or allow them to change to the new state where they will be reunited with a service member.
4. S. 509 - A bill to authorize a major medical facility project at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington (Senator Murray)
S. 509 authorizes $71 million for a VA project in Walla Walla, WA. This amount was appropriated in FY 2009.
5. H.R. 174 - To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery for veterans in the southern Colorado region (Representative Salazar)
H.R. 174 directs the VA Secretary to establish a national cemetery for veterans in the Southern Colorado Region.
6. H.R. 3157 - To name the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, as the "Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic" (Representative Peterson)
H.R. 3157 would name the VA Outpatient Clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, after Max J. Beilke. MSgt. Beilke served on active duty in the Army for 22 years. He retired after tours of duty in Vietnam, Germany and Korea. He was assigned as an ROTC instructor at St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul from 1962 to 1966 and coached the football team. MSgt. Beilke gave his life on September 11, 2001, while working on a bill for Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison at the Penatgon. Subsequently, he was awarded the Defense of Freedom Medal and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award posthumously. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
7. H.Res. 89 - Supporting and encouraging greater support for Veterans Day each year (Representative Baca)
This measure encourages Americans to demonstrate their support for veterans on Veterans Day each year by treating that day as a special day of reflection and encourage schools and teachers to educate students on the great contributions veterans have made to the country and its history. The resolution also requests the President to issue a proclamation each year in connection with the observance of Veterans Day.
8. H.Res. 291 - Recognizing the crucial role of assistance dogs in helping wounded veterans live more independent lives, expressing gratitude to The Tower of Hope, and supporting the goals and ideals of creating a Tower of Hope Day. (Representative Hastings D-FL)
The Tower of Hope was created following the attacks of September 11, 2001, to bring hope to wounded veterans by providing them with assistance dogs at no cost. This resolution applauds the outstanding work of The Tower of Hope and its dedication to training and providing assistance dogs to wounded veterans, as well as educating people about the benefits of such animals. Recovering soldiers who are teamed up with assistance dogs lead more comfortable and more independent lives; however, fewer than 75 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan currently have assistance dogs because of cost or lack of knowledge of the benefits of an assistance dog.
9. H.Res. 866 - Expressing support for designation of a National Veterans History Project Week to encourage public participation in a nationwide project that collects and preserves the stories of the men and women who served our nation in times of war and conflict (Representative Kind)
H.Res. 866 calls on the people of the United States to interview at least one veteran in their families or communities according to guidelines provided by the Veterans History Project. The bill also encourages local, State, and national organizations along with Federal, State, city and county governmental institutions to participate in support of the effort to document, preserve, and honor the service of American wartime veterans.
10. H.Res. 461 - Honoring Sentinels of Freedom and commending the dedication, commitment, and extraordinary work of the organization (Representative McNerney)
H.Res. 461 expresses thanks to the Sentinels of Freedom and commends thier dedication and commitment to the brave men and women who have served the United States. The Sentinels of Freedom provides four-year scholarships that help veterans become self-sufficient by receiving support to enroll in school, find a maintain a job, and obtain housing.
11. H.Res. 773 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the United States Submarine Force (Representative Boozman)
H.Res. 773 promotes and sustains the spirit of unity shared by members of the U.S. Submarine Force. During World War II, the United States Submarine Force served with honor and valor to protect and preserve the freedoms of the United States, as well as those of the allies of the United States. During World War II, U.S. submariners sank over 30 percent of the Japanese Navy including eight aircraft carriers, one battleship and 11 cruisers, and more importantly, the Submarine Force sank 1,300 Japanese merchant ships totaling approximately 5,000,000 tons, which was almost 60 percent of the Empire’s total merchant ship losses.
12. H.Res. 828 - To recognize October 24, 2009, the 20th chartered flight of World War II veterans through Louisiana HonorAir, as "Louisiana HonorAir Day," and to honor the invaluable service and dedication of the World War II veterans to our Nation. (Representative Cao)
H.Res. 828 recognizes Louisiana HonorAir for its 20 chartered flights of World War II veterans to Washington, DC, to visit the National World War II Memorial, honors the invaluable service and dedication of the World War II veterans to our Nation, and supports the designation of a “Louisiana HonorAir Day”.
13. H.Res. 398 - Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift's success (Representative Fortenberry)
H.Res. 398 recognizes the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and commends all of the operation’s U.S. veterans for their valor and determination to represent the noble ideals that thwarted the fall of the Iron Curtain over Berlin’s western strongholds.
The bills will next be considered by the U.S. Senate.
Also below is interesting Veterans History Project, and for our older World War II, and Korean War veterans, we encourage your participation in telling the stories so later generations will know what occurred in the lives of veterans during those time periods. For Vietnam Veterans, it also is important to call and tell story of experiences in combat. From my experience working with veterans for 19 years, there is no small story, you may not think the experiences you had in tours of duty during the wars are important enough to tell, but they all provide the chance to have future generations understand how each individual veteran was weaved into a bigger story that still impacts the world today.
HEY VA! HAVE YOU
HEARD? November 2, 2009
The VA home page --
www.va.gov -- hosts a “Veterans
History Countdown” for the 11 days leading to the 11th day of the 11th month
– Veterans Day. The special home page feature links to the digital archive of
the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and offers a video oral history
of a Veteran from each state and some U.S. territories. Each day, beginning
Nov.1, VA’s Web feature introduces new personal histories, culminating on
Veterans Day when a Veteran’s history from each state will be available simply
by clicking on the U.S. map in the display. The VA Web display urges Americans
to “Honor our Veterans. Record their Histories!” The display links to the
library’s Veterans History Project Web site --
www.loc.gov/vets -- which provides a guide for volunteers to follow in
recording and submitting Veterans’ oral histories and access the project’s
extensive digital archive. VA has collaborated with the Veterans History
Project since its implementing legislation was signed into law on Oct. 27, 2000.
VA Voluntary Service has made oral history recording part of its program and
offers Veterans the opportunity to record their histories at its facilities and
special events. These first-hand accounts are archived in the American
Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Volunteer interviewers may request
information at
vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at 888-371-5848.
Tom Zampieri
Director Government Relations
Blinded Veterans Association
Washington, DC
BVA's Legislative Alerts Group
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