07.19.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a business meeting to welcome new Committee member Rep. Connie Conway (R-Calif.) and authorize the Women Veterans Task Force, and a full committee markup advancing 18 bills to strengthen healthcare and benefits for America’s veterans. These bills will enhance VA's ability to deliver high-quality and timely healthcare and benefits to America's veterans by expanding support for homeless veterans, improving
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07.14.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), issued the following statements on two reports released today from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealing serious issues with the deployment of VA’s new Electronic Health Record
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07.14.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Chairman Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement honoring the life of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Herschel “Woody” Williams, the last remaining World War II Medal of Honor recipient and announcing a new Committee effort to raise awareness and better understand how we memorialize the legacy of veterans’ contributions to our country. “Woody was awarded this nation’s highest military honor for volunteering as a
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07.13.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) issued the following statement on the passage of S.3373, the vehicle used to carry his Honoring our PACT Act. “During his State of the Union address, President Biden said that he would be ready to sign comprehensive toxic exposure legislation into law if it came across his desk. Today, the House of Representatives has come one step closer to that goal by passing my
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07.13.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered remarks on the House floor in support of his Honoring our PACT Act.
Click here to watch Chairman Takano's full remarks.
Chairman Takano's remarks as prepared:
I stand before this chamber today in support of S.3373, as amended, which is now the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of
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06.23.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement following House passage of his bill, the Support The Resiliency of Our Nation’s Great Veterans Act – or STRONG Veterans Act:
"Preventing veteran suicide and strengthening veterans’ mental health and wellbeing remains a top priority not only of VA, but also of this Committee. It is our belief that caring for
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06.22.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and HVAC Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Chairman Frank Mrvan issued the statement below following the release of draft OIG findings obtained by the media which reveal serious patient safety risks within the Cerner Millennium Electronic Health Record used across VA.
“Although we are still waiting for the VA’s Office of Inspector General to
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06.16.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the statement below following the Senate passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 which makes revisions to his Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act Of 2021 Or Honoring Our PACT Act, which originated in the House of Representatives as H.R. 3967.
"A few months ago the House of Representatives took the historic first step of
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06.02.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after leading a bipartisan Congressional delegation over the Memorial Day holiday to honor fallen servicemembers buried abroad, meet with currently serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces to develop informed policies that serve veterans and their families, and show support for regional allies. The bipartisan delegation included Representatives Amua Amata Coleman
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05.30.22 • Press Release
Chairman Takano's full statement:
Hi, I'm Chairman Mark Takano. This Memorial Day, join me in honoring the servicemembers who selflessly served, but sadly never returned home.
Throughout our country's history, members of our armed forces have come from all walks of life bound together by a common sense of patriotic duty to defend the country that they love, even when, at times, it did not love them back.
Despite the personal struggles many Black, Asian, Hispanic, women, Native, and
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05.24.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran's (R-Kans.) release of the senate version of Chairman Takano's Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act Of 2021 Or Honoring Our PACT Act.
"I am happy to see that Senator Tester and Moran were able to build on the bipartisan momentum made in the U.S. House of Representatives only
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05.18.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Memorial Day approaches, and as the country prepares to honor the memories of our fallen servicemembers, the House of Representatives passed 9 bipartisan bills that will support women veterans, strengthen the VA Office of Inspector General, increase access to breast cancer screenings, and improve the claims process for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST). These bills follow yesterday's series of bills and are part of the House
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05.18.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran’s (R-Kans.) agreement on advancing Chairman Takano’s Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022.
“For too long, Congress and VA have been slow to act on toxic exposure—but I am
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05.17.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House of Representatives passed 10 bipartisan bills brought to the floor by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. These bills honor the legacies of prominent veterans – including former Senator Daniel Akaka – and improve how student veterans access their earned benefits. The bills would also increase transparency and accountability in the complaint process at VA Medical Centers.
“Today, my colleagues from both
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04.28.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C—Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif) delivered opening remarks at the Full Committee Hearing on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2023. This year’s request provides for an 11.3% increase over 2022’s funding and demonstrates this Administration’s firm commitment to our nation’s veterans.
Full video of Chairman Takano’s remarks can be
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04.27.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif) introducedH.R. 7589, the Reduce and Eliminate Mental Health Outpatient Veteran Copays Act or REMOVE Copays Act. This legislation will remove the financial barrier to VA mental healthcare for enrolled veterans by eliminating all copays for a veteran’s first three outpatient mental health appointments each year. This bill is part of a larger push by the Biden-Harris
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04.06.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a full Committee Markup and advanced 17 bills with strong bipartisan support. These bills will help ensure VA can meet the needs of women veterans, provide additional training for peer support specialists and help improve VA's communication with survivors of Military Sexual Trauma, expand entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans, assist student veterans, improve training and oversight
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04.06.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif) delivered opening remarks at the Full Committee Markup on 17 bipartisan bills for our nation’s veterans. The Committee will consider legislation that will help ensure VA can meet the needs of women veterans, provide additional training for peer support specialists and help improve VA's communication with survivors of Military Sexual Trauma, expand entrepreneurship
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03.31.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C—Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif) delivered remarks at the Full Committee investigative hearing entitled: "Helping Veterans Thrive: The Importance of Peer Support In Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism.” This is the second in a series of hearings looking into domestic violent extremist groups and the targeted recruitment of veterans—today’s hearing will examine the various risk factors that
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03.30.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif) made the following statement about the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs legislative hearing on his comprehensive bill, H.R. 3967, the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021 or Honoring our PACT Act. This legislation will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans
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