November 04, 2021

Ahead of Veterans Day, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Advances 18 Bills to Support Veterans

Press Contact

Jenni Geurink (202-819-4684)

WASHINGTON, D.C— Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a Full Committee Markup and passed 18 bills, many with bipartisan support. This legislation will provide parity for Guard and Reserve members, bolster VA’s research capabilities, support student veterans, promote justice for women veterans, and study the inequities LGBTQ+ veterans face in line with Chairman Takano’s priorities.

“With Veterans Day just around the corner, we advanced 18 bills today to support our nation’s veterans,” said Chairman Takano. “These bills will ensure Guard and Reserve members receive equal benefits, improve VA’s research capabilities, support student veterans, promote justice for women veterans, create a clinical trial to see how cannabis may help veterans, and more to serve each and every veteran. The best way we can honor our veterans is through action — with these 18 bills, we can back up our ‘thank you’s’ with concrete steps to ensure all veterans have equitable access to the care and benefits they’ve earned. I thank every Member for their work on these bills and look forward to their passage on the House floor.”

A full list of the bills passed can be found below:

  1. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Levin to H.R. 1836 – Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2021 (Rep. Levin) 
  2. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Pappas to H.R. 3944 – Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021 (Rep. Pappas) 
  3. H.R. 5603, as amended – Protections for Student Veterans Act (Rep. Underwood)
  4. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Mrvan to H.R. 4591 – VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021 (Rep. Mrvan)
  5. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Bost to H.R. 2250 – VA IT Reform Act of 2021 (Rep. Rosendale)
  6. H.R. 5721 – VIPER Act (Rep. Takano)
  7. H.R. 2916 – VA Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2021 (Rep. Correa) 
  8. H.R. 5029 – Expanding the Families of Veterans Access to Mental Health Services Act (Rep. Rouzer)
  9. H.R. 5516, as amended – VITAL Assessment Act (Rep. Ellzey)
  10. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Miller-Meeks to H.R. 5529 – Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act (Rep. Miller-Meeks) 
  11. H.R. 5671, as amended – To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish seasonal influenza vaccines to certain individuals, and for other purposes (Rep. Takano)
  12. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Brownley to H.R. 2385 – Justice for Women Veterans Act (Rep. Brownley)
  13. H.R. 5562 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care from the Department of Veterans Affairs to include veterans of World War II (Rep. Harder)
  14. A.N.S. offered by Rep. Takano to H.R. 1596 – Commission to Study the Stigmatization, Criminalization, and Ongoing Exclusion and Inequity for LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act (Rep. Takano) 
  15. H.R. 4845 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Veterans (Rep. Pappas) 
  16. H.R. 3730 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Advisory Committee on United States Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes (Rep. Sablan) 
  17. H.R. 5607 – Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2021 (Rep. Slotkin) 
  18. H.R. 5151, as amended – Col. James Floyd Turner IV USMC GI Bill Transfer Act of 2021 (Rep. Bilirakis) 

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