OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Improving Transition Programs for All Veterans Act

Floor Speech

Date: May 23, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans

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Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5229) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a study to evaluate the effectiveness of programs, especially in regards to women veterans and minority veterans, in transitioning to civilian life, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5229, as amended, the Improving Transition Programs for All Veterans Act.

The transition from military life to civilian life is not always a smooth one. The Transition Assistance Program that is run by the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor does a pretty good job alleviating some of the stress that can occur before a servicemember leaves the military, and it is a good opportunity to inform outgoing servicemembers of what benefits they may be entitled to from Veterans Affairs and how to prepare for civilian life.

Although TAP continues to improve, it still is a struggle to fully prepare servicemembers for this short 5-day period, let alone address the specific needs each individual has in each program.

The bill before us today would be a first step in examining how TAP can further be improved to address the specific needs of minority veterans, women veterans, disabled veterans, Native American veterans, and veterans from U.S. territories.

It is important that, as a Nation, we prepare our men and women of all backgrounds for life after uniform, and the study required by this bill will give the VA, DOD, and Department of Labor the ability to review TAP and to better understand how it can be improved to ensure that we properly transition all servicemembers and address their specific needs as they prepare for life after the military.

I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), and the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Ms. Radewagen) for their work on this legislation. It does have my full support. I would urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 5229, as amended.

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Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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