Legislation aimed at helping vets moves to full House

Legislation aimed at helping vets moves to full House
Posted: Jul 16, 2012

Three bills aimed at helping America's veterans have moved to the full House of Representatives.

House Resolutions 4057, 5747 and 5948 all unanimously passed the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs July 11.

HR 4079, The Safe Housing for Homeless Veterans Act, introduced by Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., was included in HR 4057. That bill is known ad the Military Family Home Protection Act.

"I was so happy that I could use my engineering background to help our veterans," McKinley said. "After touring homeless shelters in the 1st District of West Virginia, and seeing the conditions, with my own eyes, we began to investigate whether this was an isolated case or part of a bigger problem."

McKinley said his amendment, and the larger bill, will ensure homeless veterans have access to safe shelters.

In addition, McKinley's amendment would require any organization that seeks funding from the Veterans Administration for services for homeless veterans to document that their buildings meet or exceed all Life Safety Codes. HR 4079 also requires the VA to report the safety conditions of homeless shelters in its annual report to Congress.

"As a nation, it should be unacceptable for us to allow homeless veterans to be housed in potentially unsafe conditions," McKinley said. "In defense of our country, these men and women were put in harm's way – they should not be in doubt about their own safety now that they are home again. These homeless veterans experiencing difficulties should be able to trust that they will be safe each night."

Not only are veterans at risk of losing their homes, many also face financial hardship.

HR 5948, The Veterans Fiduciary Reform Act of 2012, was introduced by Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, who has been investigating fraud within the VA's Fiduciary Program.
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