Agent Orange: HR5729 needs support now

Hello. It's us, the Nesler family again! Writing about the Agent Orange, Congress, the VA and Spina Bifida Children.

HR 5729 a piece of legislation to improve the health care services provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to the roughly 900 Agent Orange Spina Bifida children such as our daughter Honey Sue was recently passed by the House of Representatives. In the House it was sponsored by Congressman Brad Ellsworth (DEM of IN) and Co-Sponsored by Congressman Steve Buyer. (REP of IN)

The VA already acknowledges these children under existing law and provides them SOME health care compensation. But this bill (HR 5729) will improve and increase the level of care provided by the VA.

Now HR 5729, having passed in the US House of Representatives has been sent to the US Senate. The urgent need NOW is to prevent it from dying in a Senate committee. Which is often the fate in the Senate of House of Representatives' bills effecting only small politically insignificant numbers of war veterans and our families.

I am now asking that you help by writing to your two Senators asking that they provide real TANGIBLE support for this bill. Without which the bill will NEVER move out of committee for a vote. If you are willing to help you may use the suggested FORM letter below to contact your two Senators. If you will print out the suggested letter below, adding your name and address to the signature block, and send it to your two Senators it will help immensely.

Because of 9-11 paper communication with members of Congress has become difficult. So I am including this link Complete E-Mail Addresses for Congress, Senate, Governors & State Legislators to a list of Senatorial fax numbers. So that you may fax rather than mail the letter if you prefer. Faxing is easier and cheaper and does not require the months of security Hoop La required for a paper snail mail letter to get through to a Congressional office.

But ANY way in which you can get the letter into the office of your state's two Senators will help to get this legislation out of the Senate committee and on the way to the Senate floor for a vote. If we do not get the support of at least a few Senators the bill will die in committee without ever being voted on. Please take the time to help Honey Sue and the other 900 or so Agent Orange children.

Below is the suggested form letter. It is also attached to this Email as a file if you want to open the file to print it. Remember that to be of help you must add your name and address to the signature block to prove you are a constituent of your particular two Senators. Otherwise it will go into the trash can as junk mail.

Also if you chose to write your own letter in your own words please remember that it is necessary to request that the Senator take the three specific pro-active steps listed in the suggested form letter. If you contact the Senator WITHOUT requesting these specific three tangible acts of support your letter will only generate a computerized response thanking you for writing and telling you that the Senator will sagely "consider your comments" while "monitoring the progress of the bill in committee." Which translated to plain English means they will do NOTHING and the bill will die in committee without ever being voted on.

By requesting the three specific actions you will greatly increase the chances that your letter to the Senators will actually be read by an actual human staffer. Possibly even answered by a human person rather than with a meaningless computer generated form letter. And in today's political world that in itself is a major accomplishment!

Thank you for whatever level of help you can render. The suggested letter is below our signature block. And it is also attached to this Email as a file for you to view and print. .


Ron and Suzanne Nesler....... Parents, guardians and care givers for
Honey Sue

HERE IS THE SUGGESTED LETTER TO SENATORS

Senator,


I strongly support America’s war veterans and their families from all wars. Both past and present. I am very interested in HR 5729 also known as the Honey Sue bill. This is a bill to improve VA health care services for the fewer than 1000 children of Vietnam War veterans. These few children of Vietnam War veterans are already acknowledged by the VA to be afflicted with birth defects resulting from a birth parent’s exposure to Agent Orange during that war. But are neglected for fair health care compensation because they are so few in number.

As you know HR 5729 has easily passed in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support and it’s financial cost is reported as insignificant by the Congressional Budget Office. But as you ALSO know this bill will die in committee in the US Senate UNLESS it receives your tangible support in the form of a companion bill to HR 5729 and a letter of support to the Veteran Affairs Committee. As well as a request for mark up on the bill to that committee.

I am writing to ask that you show TANGIBLE support of America’s past war veterans by sponsoring a companion bill for HR 5729 in the US Senate. And that you send a letter of support to the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee and make a request for mark up on this bill to that committee.

Will you provide this small tangible support for America’s past war veterans and their families?


Thank you very much.






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