thedrifter
06-29-07, 04:34 PM
House panel passes 4 bills for veterans
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 29, 2007 12:29:51 EDT
A House subcommittee paused in the rush to leave town for the July 4 congressional recess to pass four veterans’ bills.
One bill approved by the House Veterans’ Affairs economic opportunity subcommittee would extend existing authority to provide grants for converting a home to meet the needs of severely disabled service members. The bill calls for the grants to also apply to those still on active duty who will reside temporarily in housing owned by a family member, such as a parent, grandparent or sibling.
Last year, Congress expanded the so-called special adaptive housing grants, previously available only when a veteran owned the home, to homes owned by family members, a change aimed to help young veterans hurt in Iraq and Afghanistan whose parents are providing their care.
The bill, HR 1315, allows grants of up to $14,000 for housing to be available to severely injured service members who are still on active duty only because they are awaiting separation, which could be delayed while they receive military medical treatment. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., the subcommittee chairwoman, is the bill’s chief sponsor.
A second bill approved by the subcommittee, sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., would prevent foreclosure on a home for up to a year after release from active duty, instead of the 90 days of postservice protection provided under current law. Only homes purchased before the start of active service are covered.
As passed by the subcommittee, the one-year moratorium on foreclosure would begin 90 days after the bill, HR 1750, becomes law. Wynn initially proposed making the protection retroactive to Feb. 1, 2003.
A third bill, HR 1240, would create a new $45,000 scholarship for students seeking a college degree in blind rehabilitation. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is the chief sponsor of that measure.
The fourth bill approved by the panel, sponsored by Rep. David Reichert, R-Wash., orders an annual government study of how the Labor Department and other federal agencies are protecting re-employment rights for troops when they leave active service.
The four measures, all approved by voice vote and with little discussion, will be taken up by the full veterans’ affairs committee in July after the one-week legislative break, committee aides said.
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 29, 2007 12:29:51 EDT
A House subcommittee paused in the rush to leave town for the July 4 congressional recess to pass four veterans’ bills.
One bill approved by the House Veterans’ Affairs economic opportunity subcommittee would extend existing authority to provide grants for converting a home to meet the needs of severely disabled service members. The bill calls for the grants to also apply to those still on active duty who will reside temporarily in housing owned by a family member, such as a parent, grandparent or sibling.
Last year, Congress expanded the so-called special adaptive housing grants, previously available only when a veteran owned the home, to homes owned by family members, a change aimed to help young veterans hurt in Iraq and Afghanistan whose parents are providing their care.
The bill, HR 1315, allows grants of up to $14,000 for housing to be available to severely injured service members who are still on active duty only because they are awaiting separation, which could be delayed while they receive military medical treatment. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., the subcommittee chairwoman, is the bill’s chief sponsor.
A second bill approved by the subcommittee, sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., would prevent foreclosure on a home for up to a year after release from active duty, instead of the 90 days of postservice protection provided under current law. Only homes purchased before the start of active service are covered.
As passed by the subcommittee, the one-year moratorium on foreclosure would begin 90 days after the bill, HR 1750, becomes law. Wynn initially proposed making the protection retroactive to Feb. 1, 2003.
A third bill, HR 1240, would create a new $45,000 scholarship for students seeking a college degree in blind rehabilitation. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is the chief sponsor of that measure.
The fourth bill approved by the panel, sponsored by Rep. David Reichert, R-Wash., orders an annual government study of how the Labor Department and other federal agencies are protecting re-employment rights for troops when they leave active service.
The four measures, all approved by voice vote and with little discussion, will be taken up by the full veterans’ affairs committee in July after the one-week legislative break, committee aides said.
Ellie