Remembering Our Nation’s Veterans

Remembering Our Nation’s Veterans

On Veterans Day, we join all Americans in honoring the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces around the world.  Without their sacrifices, and those of their families, Americans would not enjoy the freedoms we do.

Last July, Congress gave final approval to H.R. 3230 – the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act – and the President signed the measure into law on August 7.  The agreement is a strong, bipartisan first step to addressing the health care crisis our nation’s veterans have been facing for too long.  Among other things, the Act will help the VA hire more doctors and more nurses and staff more clinics; further, for veterans who can’t get timely care through the VA, this bill will help them get the care through non-VA providers.

Mark Your Calendar - Sign Up for Health Insurance this Saturday!

Open Enrollment, which begins this Saturday, November 15, is the time when you can find a new Marketplace health insurance plan, keep your current plan, or see if you can get help paying for coverage.  If you already have coverage, it’s time to review your plan and decide if you want to make changes for 2015.  If you don’t take action by December 15, 2014, you could miss out on better deals and cost savings.

If you have any questions about enrolling for health insurance through the federal marketplace, please call Rep. Levin’s Roseville office at (586) 498-7122 and we will be happy to assist you.

Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session

Members of the House of Representatives and Senate return to Washington this week following the elections for a one-month “lame duck” session before the 113th Congress ends.  The House and Senate have a full plate of unfinished work in front of them.  They must reach agreement on all the budget bills that fund the government for 2015.  Congress must also finalize the annual defense policy bill; in addition, the House and Senate will very likely take action to fund military operations against the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and also provide additional resources to fight the Ebola outbreak.

Levin Urges Sustained Resources for Great Lakes Restoration

On October 30, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that two toxic hot spots in the Great Lakes had been cleaned up.  One was Deer Lake in the Upper Peninsula near Lake Superior, and the other was White Lake, which is just north of Muskegon adjacent to Lake Michigan.  These two sites were contaminated by decades of industrial pollution.  The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) greatly accelerated the cleanup of Deer Lake and White Lake. 

Since 2010, Congress has provided over $1.6 billion for more than 2000 restoration projects – large and small – in and around the Great Lakes Basin.  Reps. Levin and Louise Slaughter of New York recently circulated a letter to urge the Obama Administration to include at least $300 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the President’s next budget request to Congress.  A bipartisan group of 42 other House lawmakers joined us on this letter.