March 30, 2009

House Approves Veterans’ Legislation; Buyer’s Amendment to Help Homeless Women Veterans with Children Included

For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, 202-225-3527

House Approves Veterans’ Legislation 

Buyer’s Amendment to Help Homeless Women Veterans with Children Included

 Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Steve Buyer was pleased that the House of Representatives unanimously approved by voice vote H.R. 1171, as amended, the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) Act of 2009, which included an amendment that he offered at the full committee markup to address the needs of homeless women veterans.  

 

H.R. 1171 was introduced by John Boozman of Arkansas , who serves as ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. “I would like to thank my colleagues for supporting H.R. 1171, as amended,” Boozman said. “By all accounts, HVRP is a successful Department of Labor program that provides job training, counseling, and placement services to help homeless veterans succeed in today’s job market.  H.R. 1171, as amended, would reauthorize the program through fiscal year 2014, and we are doing the right thing by continuing these services.”  

 

Buyer’s amendment expands HVRP to include a specific focus on helping homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children. The amendment, which was derived from a bill he introduced shortly after the 111th Congress convened in January as part of the “Noble Warrior Initiatives”, would authorize appropriations of $10 million annually to fund the program over the next five years.  In addition to introducing the measure as a stand alone bill, Buyer had also tried to include it in the economic stimulus package. 

“The issue of homelessness is a sad state of affairs from any perspective, but it is especially troubling when those who stood up for our freedom find themselves living on the streets of the nation they helped defend. VA statistics show a marked increase in the number of homeless women veterans, many of whom have children. These individuals obviously require a safe, supportive environment in a private setting, in which they can regain their footing and acquire skills that will lead to meaningful employment.  I believe my amendment will go a long way in helping these veterans by providing grants to organizations that provide employment training and child care.”  

 

The following bills were also unanimously approved by voice vote:  

 

H.R. 1377, as amended – would amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for reimbursement by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for emergency treatment in a non-VA facility. It would allow veterans to seek emergency care at the closest provider without fear of facing large out-of-pocket expenses.   

 

H.R. 1513, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2009 – would increase rates of VA disability compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by the same percentage as benefit under title II of the Social Security Act.   

 

For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, please go to:  

 

http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/  

 

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