VVA CA State Council

Second Call in Day on the Hill scheduled for December 9 in support of H.R. 1769/S.901 the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015

Vietnam Veterans of America – Legislative Update
November 20, 2015

The House and Senate are now in recess for the Thanksgiving Holidays and will reconvene on November 30, 2015.

Bill passed by the House on November 18, 2015

H.R. 1338, the Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2015, would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study and report to Congress on the problem of unclaimed remains of deceased veterans and place a $2 million cap on Fiscal Year 2016 bonuses for VA senior executives. H.R. 1384, the Honor America’s Guard-Reserve Retirees Act, would honor as veterans retired National Guard and Reserve personnel who have served 20 years and do not meet the full requirements for veteran status under title 38, United States Code. The bills now await consideration by the Senate. Following House passage of the bills, Chairman Miller released the below statement.

Bill passed by the Senate on November 10, 2015

The Senate by a vote of 93 to 0, approved the Senate’s FY2016 MilCon-VA measure provides a total of $79.7 billion in discretionary funding, a more than $2.1 billion increase over the committee-reported bill. This amount is $7.9 billion above the FY2015 funding level and $1.0 billion over the President’s FY2016 budget request.

Mark your calendars second Call In Day on the Hill – December 9

The November 4th Call in Day on the Hill was quite a success more co-sponsors signed on to H.R. 1769 and S.901. We want to keep the momentum going and have scheduled a second Call in Day on the Hill for December 9, 2015 at 9:00 am. More info to follow.

For an up-to-date list of co-sponsors, please go to http://capwiz.com/vva/issues/ if your member of Congress is not listed as a co-sponsor. Go to http://capwiz.com/vva/home/, enter your Zip Code, and send the prepared letters to your Representatives and Senators, asking them to join their colleagues and cosponsor H.R. 1769 and S.901, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015.

Please follow-up your letter with a call or pay a visit to their district office.

On December 9, 2015 please again call your members of Congress who have NOT co-sponsored H.R. 1769 or S.901 requesting their support

Vietnam Veterans of America -ACTION ALERT

December 4, 2015

Message from John Rowan, VVA National President

Action Alert: December 9, 2015 - 2nd Call-in Day on the Hill

On behalf of the Vietnam Veterans of America Board of Directors, I am requesting once again – this time on December 9, starting at 9:00 am -- that you call your members of Congress seeking their support for H.R. 1769 and S.901, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015.

It is all about the one-minute phone call. Let your politicians know that you are watching and that you care.

Link to Telephone script http://www.vvacalsc.com/files/call_in_script.pdf
Link to Non-cosponsors http://www.vvacalsc.com/files/hr_1769_s ... onsors.pdf

Passage of the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 is one of the most important efforts that we can do collectively to insure that future military service generations learn from our experience and that our offspring receive the respect and consideration for the sacrifices and pain that they endure from illnesses due to our service in Vietnam.

Your voices were heard. Members responded. We need to keep up the momentum!

This is one of our last battles— Remember, losing is not an option

Make the call on December 9, 2015

John Rowan
National President/CEO

Hello, my name is (identify yourself) and I am a constituent in your congressional district.

I am calling today to urge you to co-sponsor and support H.R. 1769 the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 introduced by Representatives Benishek and Honda. This legislation would establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for the research on the diagnosis and treatment of the health conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during service in the Armed Forces.

Thank you for your attention to my request and please co-sponsor and support H.R. 1769 the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015.

(Leave your name, home address and phone number so the office can follow up with you at a later time)