PROGRESS ON LIBERTY MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM LEGISLATION
This week legislation I introduced, the "Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act", passed the House of Representatives by a unanimous voice vote.
I believe this is an important step forward and I will continue working to see that this legislation meets with final success. I have been hesitant to speak on this issue too much, as we have been to this spot before, only to see it languish in the Senate. So, while it isn’t time to prematurely proclaim victory, it is a promising sign of progress, and I want to keep you updated on where we are and what has happened.
This bill, which I introduced with Congressman Ted Poe, would establish a commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I, to designate memorials to the service of members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I, including a National World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia, and most importantly, it would designate the Liberty Memorial as “The National World War I Museum and Memorial.” I thank Members from both sides of the aisle who rose to speak in support of HR 6364 and for urging their colleagues to support it.
I believe this bill is a symbol of bipartisanship and cooperation. Millions served in World War I, many of them making the ultimate sacrifice, and now it is our job to serve their memory. Kansas City, as you know, is home to the Liberty Memorial and it is time to re-designate this facility as the National World War I Memorial and Museum and give it the distinction it so richly deserves.
You can read the entire bill for yourself by clicking here.
FIGHTING VETERAN HOMELESSNESS
Ending homelessness among veterans is a priority for me and an effort that I fully support. These are the men and women, after all, who have risked life and limb to serve and protect our country. To return to civilian life and find themselves without the very basics, such as a safe and consistent place to lay their heads, is unconscionable.
President Obama has also made it a priority of his administration to address this issue. And these efforts are working. This week The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a big reduction in homelessness among veterans. Their report shows an approximate 7 percent decrease from January of 2011 to January of 2012. I spoke with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki when he visited Kansas City this year to talk with area veterans. This is an issue that is of great importance to him. In fact, the VA has said by the end of 2015 the goal is to eliminate veteran homelessness altogether.
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Congressman Cleaver with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in June of this year visiting with veterans in Kansas City
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“This report continues a trend that clearly indicates we are on the right track in the fight to end homelessness among veterans. While this is encouraging news, we have more work to do and will not be satisfied until no veteran has to sleep on the street,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The success we have achieved is directly attributable to the hard work by all of our staff, and the federal, state, and community partners who are committed to ending veteran homelessness.” According to the 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, there were approximately 62,619 homeless veterans on a single night in January in this country. That is a decrease of just more than 7% since the same time last year. That number is a very dramatic decrease since 2009 – 17.2%.
I am pleased to let you know that the VA also announced this week that $300 million in grant money is available to community organizations serving veterans and family members facing homelessness.
For more information about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program and grants: www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.
PAYING STUDENT LOANS
Many constituents have reached out to me over the years to discuss the difficulty in paying student loans. There is a Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan that may be helpful to those in that situation. The goal of the plan is to help keep those monthly payments affordable, by basing them on income. If you’d like to learn more about this, please visit: http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans/pay-as-you-earn
PROTECTING YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS
The holiday season usually brings out the best in people, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Small business owners, and many working for larger corporations, here in the Fifth District have often times found themselves the victims of fraud. A major credit card company is offering some tips to help consumers and business owners and employees prevent this from happening to them. If you’d like to take a look at some of these tips, please visit my website: http://cleaver.house.gov/
GREEN IMPACT ZONE FINDING JOBS
There are so many wonderful things happening inside the Green Impact Zone it is difficult to highlight them all. Recently a Job Interviewing Fair resulted in Zone staff assisting with the job placement of five people seeking employment. Those five were all graduates of the Essential Employability Skills training offered in the Green Impact Zone. The graduates are now working for Kansas City’s New Horizons, a company that provides environmental management and contracting services all across the country. Congratulations to those who put in such time, effort and dedication to finding work, and to the successful partnership between the Green Impact Zone and New Horizons.
 Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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