12.03.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement after Rep. Mike Bost's (R-Ill.) selection to serve as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the 117th Congress:
"As we prepare for the 117th Congress, I want to congratulate Marine veteran, Rep. Bost-- our Committee's new Ranking Member, and I look forward to building on the legacy of Dr. Roe," said Chairman Takano."Throughout his time on
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12.02.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C — Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs approved “Hijacking our Heroes” as an official Committee report into the public record.
This report, detailing internet spoofing-- the act of disguising an electronic communication from an unknown source to make the communication look like it is from a known, trusted source-- is based off the Committee’s November
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11.17.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Last night, the House of Representatives unanimously passed all three bipartisan bills brought to the floor by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Even as the 116th Congress comes to a close, the Committee has continued its critical oversight and legislative work-the bills passed today showcase that commitment to veterans and their families by increasing accessibility for disabled veterans across all of VA's websites, files, and apps, naming the VA Clinic in Bozeman,
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11.12.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to VA's 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Reportdetailing the first two years of the Trump Administration's efforts to reduce veteran suicide.
"While the Veterans' COMPACT Act and Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Improvement Act were major steps forward in the fight to reduce veteran suicide, there's still so much more
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11.11.20 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in recognition of Veterans Day:
Watch Chairman Takano's full video statement here.
"Our armed forces have long been a living example of our country's 'Melting Pot.' Throughout our history, men and women, LGBTQ individuals, Native Americans, and members of the Black, Hispanic, and Asian communities have proudly served our country to defend their freedoms,
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11.10.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) along with Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kans.) released the following statements after the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Chairman Takano's H.R. 8247, the Veterans' Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020, or Veterans' COMPACT Act, featuring 9 provisions to help
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10.02.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C-House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are expressing serious concerns to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over whether the Department is fully prepared to launch the significant expansion of the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Program (PCAFC) that was announced yesterday-a move that will allow Pre-9/11 veterans to apply for the program
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09.23.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C- Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed all five bills brought to the floor by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. This legislation will reform VA's debt collection process and support homeless veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as help reduce veteran suicide through Chairman Takano's Veterans' COMPACT Act and the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019.
A full list of bills passed can be found
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09.23.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C - House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) along with Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), today released the following statements after the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed S.785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act-groundbreaking legislation to connect more veterans with critical
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09.22.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C- Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed all six bipartisan bills brought to the floor by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. This legislation will update VA's exclusionary motto, eliminate VA copayments for native veterans that never should have been charged, and hold VA leadership accountable for the needed fixes to VA's financial systems.
A full list of bills passed can be found below:
H.R. 3010- Honoring All Veterans Act (Rice, Mast):
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09.17.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C- Today, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a Full Committee Markup passing all 5 bills on the agenda including legislation that will help reduce veteran suicide, increase transparency and oversight of VA, and extend employment protections for members of the National Guard.
A full list of bills passed can be found below:
A.N.S to H.R. 8247 Offered by Chairman Takano- Veterans Comprehensive, Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020 (Chairman
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09.14.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the Veterans' Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020, or Veterans' COMPACT Act, featuring 9 provisions that complement the Senate's Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act to reduce veteran suicide. This package, which includes Chairman Takano's Veterans Acute Crisis Care for Emergent Suicide Symptoms (ACCESS) Act to ensure
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09.11.20 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA-Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in recognition of all the servicemembers that have stepped up to serve our nation since 9/11 and the American patriots we have lost since then:
Watch Chairman Takano's full video statement here.
"19 years ago, our country was forever changed when terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field outside of
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09.02.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced 10 new bills introduced over the past week that will help complete the House's companion legislation to S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act.
These bills, many of which enjoy bipartisan support, would expand lethal means safety training, improve diagnosis and treatment for serious mental illness, ensure emergency room personnel institute
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09.01.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) made the following statement to mark the beginning of Suicide Prevention Month.
Full video remarks can be found here
"Suicide Prevention Month is a chance to reach out to our friends, neighbors, and family members who may be experiencing a mental health crisis-- especially if these individuals are veterans," said Chairman Takano. "Each day, 17 veterans, reservists, and National Guard
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08.24.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced a legislative hearing on the Veterans COMPACT Act of 2020 and the Committee's 14 additions to the bill package that will make up the House Companion to S.785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. On September 10, 2020 at 10:00 am ET, the Full Committee will gather to discuss 26 bills that address veteran suicide including key fixes to the Senate's
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08.24.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced his support for two new, bipartisan bills that will reduce veteran suicide by increasing outreach to Native veterans and ensuring every veteran has access to VA suicide prevention care. The American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans Mental Health Act introduced by Subcommittee on Health and Women Veterans Task Force Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Rep. Tom Cole (R- Okla.), and Rep.
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08.14.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON - House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chair Mark Takano (CA-41) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (OR-04), along with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and Alma Adams (NC-12), today urged Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie and United States Postmaster General (USPMG) Louis DeJoy to rectify reported delayed deliveries of medication to veterans in the wake of operational changes at the United States Postal Service (USPS).
In a
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08.07.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced his support for two new, bipartisan bills that will help prevent veteran suicide by expanding access to virtual mental healthcare and teaching critical coping strategies to veterans' families. The Veterans' Access to Online Treatment Act introduced by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) will increase access to evidence-based, effective online treatments for mental health
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07.31.20 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee of Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) announced his support for two new, bipartisan bills that align with the Committee's comprehensive seven pillar approach to prevent veteran suicide by increasing access to healthcare and identifying and supporting at-risk veterans. The VA Telehealth Expansion Actintroduced by Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Chair Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Ranking Member Jim Banks (R-Ind.) will close gaps that
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