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Veterans
We are honored to have a great number of veterans living in the Third District of North Carolina. These brave men and women deserve everything we have promised them.
Where I Stand
I believe those who wear or have worn the uniform of this Nation deserve everything promised to them because they and their families have earned it defending our Nation. For my entire public life I have been a tireless advocate for our Veterans, their families, and all active and reserve personnel. I work closely with The Military Coalition that represents 5.5 million Veterans and their families. I am honored to have received numerous awards from the American Legion, Veterans’ of Foreign Wars (VFW), the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and many others.
In the 112th Congress alone, I have sponsored or cosponsored over 35 bills supporting our Veterans. I will continue to stand by our Nation’s Veterans, because they stood up for us.
Legislative Action in the 112th Congress
Sponsored Bills
H.R.1092 - the Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act - prohibits an increase after April 1, 2006, in a premium, deductible, copayment, or other charge prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for medical and dental health care coverage for military personnel. Also prohibits an increase in premiums under TRICARE for certain members of the Selected Reserve and Retired Reserve.
H.R. 493 - the Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act - requires the United States to forgive any overpayment of military retired or retainer pay for any period after the death of the recipient through the last day of the month in which such death occurs, if such payment is electronically deposited to a joint account bearing the name of the decedent and the decedent's designated beneficiary.
Cosponsored Bills
H.R. 178 - the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age.
H.R. 303 - the Retired Pay Restoration Act - expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability.
H.R. 333 - the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - amends federal military retired pay provisions to permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation.
H.R. 396 - the TBI Treatment Act - directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to carry out a five-year pilot program under which each Secretary establishes a process for providing payments to facilities for treatments of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received by members of the Armed Forces and veterans in facilities other than military treatment facilities or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities.
H.R. 420 - the Veterans’ Heritage Firearms Act of 2011 -provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States.
H.R. 575 - the HEALTHY Vets Act of 2011 - requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in the case of a veteran for whom Department of Veterans Affairs facilities are geographically inaccessible (as defined under this Act), to contract for the provision of the following care: (1) primary care; (2) acute or chronic symptom management; (3) non-therapeutic medical services; and (4) other medical services determined appropriate by the director of the appropriate VA service region, after consultation with the VA physician responsible for such veteran's primary care.
H.R. 687 - the Military Spouses Employment Act - amends the Internal Revenue Code to include spouses of members of the Armed Forces on extended active duty (more than 90 days or for an indefinite period) as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit (thus giving employers a tax incentive for hiring military spouses).
H.R. 938 - the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act - establishes the World War I Centennial Commission.
H.R. 943 - the K-9 Companion Corps Act - directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Companion Corps program for the awarding of grants to nonprofit organizations to assist them in establishing programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities.
H.R. 1154 - the Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act - prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from prohibiting the use of service dogs in or on any VA facility or property or any facility or property that receives VA funding.
H.R. 1288 - the World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider certain methods for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a member of the merchant marine during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977
H.R. 2051 - the Veterans Missing in America Act of 2011 - recognizes the tireless work and dedication of the Missing in America Project, in conjunction with numerous veterans service organizations, in identifying unclaimed remains of veterans.
H.R. 2070 - the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2012 - directs the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.
H.R. 2318 - the Medal of Honor Stipend Increase Act - authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), subject to the availability of appropriations, to increase by up to $500 a month the rate of the Medal of Honor special pension.
H.R. 2550 - the Spouses of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act - requires an Armed Forces member's entitlement to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to be transferred to the member's surviving spouse, unless another eligible dependent is designated, upon the death of a member who is entitled to such assistance while serving on active duty.
H.R. 2848 - the Veterans’ Religious Freedom Act - directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that: (1) the family members of each veteran who is buried in a national cemetery or is eligible for certain veterans' burial benefits are informed of all options available for the funeral or memorial service for such veteran, and (2) the director of each national cemetery is a qualified veteran.
H.R. 2888 - the Help Veterans Own Franchises Act - amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit for 25% of a qualified franchise fee of up to $400,000 paid or incurred by a veteran for the purchase of a franchise.
H.R. 2985 - the Veteran’s I.D. Card Act - directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a veteran's identification card to any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment.
H.R. 2996 - the Gulf War Syndrome ‘Presumptive Illness’ Extension Act of 2011 - extends to December 31, 2018, the period of time following service in the Persian Gulf War or in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, or New Dawn during which there is a presumption that certain chronic disabilities or illnesses that become manifest in former active-duty veterans are service-connected and therefore compensable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
H.R. 3245 - the Efficient Service for Veterans Act - directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to jointly ensure that certain VA readjustment counseling centers have access to the Defense Personnel Record Image Retrieval and the VA/DOD Identity Repository Systems.
H.R. 3290 - the Veterans Health Care Stamp Act - requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide for the issuance and sale of a veterans health care stamp to help fund the medical care and treatment of veterans.
H.R. 3337 - the Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011 - directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain an open pit burn registry for members of the Armed Forces deployed in a contingency operation in Iraq or Afghanistan who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits used for disposing solid waste, and include in such registry information necessary to ascertain and monitor the health effects of such exposure.
H.R. 3340 - the Help Inspire and Retrain our Exceptional Veterans Act of 2011 - directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program to award grants to local chambers of commerce to provide veterans with apprenticeships and career advice.
H.R. 3483 - the Veterans Education Equity Act of 2011 - revises the formula for the payment by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program and pursuing programs of education at public institutions of higher learning.
H.R. 3612 - the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2011 - includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
H.R. 3895 - the Protect VA Healthcare Act of 2012 - amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to clarify that all veterans programs are exempt from sequestration.
H.R. 3904 - the Keep America’s Promise Act - protects 157 Air Force officers who were involuntarily separated as a result of a March 2011 continuation board.