Representing the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2009 |
CONTACT: Rachel Magnuson, 202-225-6111 |
| Schwartz: “We Must Honor America’s Veterans and Soldiers in our Actions and Deeds” | ||
“It is our solemn responsibility to honor and respect the men and women who have served our country, both in times of war and in peace. We also have an equally important responsibility to ensure that our soldiers and veterans are provided with meaningful benefits that reflect the tremendous sacrifices they have made in order to serve,” said U.S. Rep. Schwartz.
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act (H.R. 1016)
Endorsed by veterans’ organizations including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, this provision authorizes Congress to approve investments in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care one year in advance, and requires the President to request those funds one year in advance. This will ensure reliable and timely funding to support the delivery of high quality medical care for our veterans -- providing time for the VA to plan how to deliver the best care to an increasing number of veterans with increasingly complex medical conditions.
The Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act (H.R. 3590)
This initiative, which is supported by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Officers Association of America, National Military Family Association, and the American Foreign Service Association, will strengthen several American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provisions in relation to how they apply to service members.
Specifically, this legislation would:
· Ensure that certain payments under the Defense Housing Assistance Program (HAP) to assist military personnel selling a home that has declined in value are exempt from tax.
· Ensure service members will not have to repay the first-time home buyer credit if they are ordered to deploy to a different location and, as a result, forced to sell their home within three years of buying it.
· Extend for one year, to December 1, 2010, the deadline for taking advantage the first-time homebuyer credit for qualifying service members, so that certain service members stationed overseas can take advantage of the credit when they return.
U.S. Rep. Schwartz is an outspoken advocate for America’s soldiers and veterans in Congress. She was a strong supporter of the New G.I. Bill, and has pushed for other key measures to improve and modernize benefits provided to veterans, soldiers and their families. Schwartz’s first Congressional bill, a plan to provide tax credits to businesses hiring veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been enacted into law.
“When I was only a small girl, my father went overseas to serve in Korea. When he came home, I did not recognize him when he arrived to pick me up at school. That vivid memory of his sacrifice, leaving behind a wife and young children, to serve his nation is one that so many veterans and their families share. And it is that poignancy of knowing how personal one’s service is that motivates me to champion causes important to America’s soldiers and veterans in Congress,” added Schwartz.
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