LEGISLATIVE BILLS OF INTEREST:
- H.R.2456, “Veterans Education Tuition Support Act of 2009,” Rep. Susan Davis, D-CA, To amend section 484B of Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to students who withdraw from an institution of higher education to serve in the uniformed services, and for other purposes.
- H.R.3943, “Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act,” Rep. Joe Courtney, D-CT, To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, to be eligible to participate in the Troops-to-Teachers Program, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2874, “Helping Active Duty Deployed Act of 2009,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-VA, To amend the Service members Civil Relief Act to improve the equitable relief available for service members called to active duty, and for other purposes. This relief includes leniency on ending cell phone contracts, residential and motor vehicle leases, and tuition relief for those who are called to active duty and/or deployed.
- H.R. 816, Rep Chet Edwards, D-TX, To amend title 10, United States Code, to prohibit certain increases in fees for military health care.
- H.R.3962, “Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Rep. John Dingell, D-MI, To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes. The House version of the healthcare bill.
- H.R. 1592 , (No title), Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-FL, If enacted, this bill would amend title 37, United States Code, to guarantee a pay increase for members of the uniformed services for fiscal years 2011 through 2014 of one-half of one percentage point higher than the Employment Cost Index.
- H.R.4324 by Rep. Dina Titus, D-NV, To amend the Homeowners Assistance Program of the Department of Defense to give the Secretary of Defense flexibility regarding setting the commencement date for homeowner assistance for members of the Armed Forces permanently reassigned during the mortgage crisis.
- H.R. 613 , the “Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act,” by Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr., R-NC, This bill would amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for forgiveness of certain overpayments of retired pay paid to deceased retired members of the Armed Forces following their death.
- H.R. 775 , “Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act,” Rep Solomon P. Ortiz, D-TX, This bill would repeal the requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to offset the receipt of veteran’s dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC).
- H.R. 303, the “Retired Pay Restoration Act,” by Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-FL, This bill would amend title 10, United States Code, to permit additional retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability to receive both disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability and either retired pay by reason of their years of military service or Combat-Related Special Compensation and to eliminate the phase-in period under current law with respect to such concurrent receipt.
Contacting your Elected Officials
Step 1: Determine who your Senator/Representative is.
House of Representatives: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Step 2: Call the Capital Hill Operator and ask to be connected to the office of your elected official. 1-888-762-8760
Step 3: Tell the office staffer that you want your elected official to support the bills listed in this report. You can also send an email to your elected officials through the above websites. It’s important to let them know what is important to you! If you would like full details of each bill, go to this website. http://thomas.loc.gov
Questions about how to Contact Members of Congress
Can You Give Me Some Hints About Writing an Effective Message to my Congress member?
When mailing members of Congress (electronically or otherwise), keep in mind to be formal and to the point or your letter may be ignored. Include your ground mail address in the body of the email because most Congress members only respond to their constituency.
What is The Best Method for Contacting Congress (Email, Phone Call, etc.)?
There is no rule saying that one form of communication is better than any other for contacting Congress members, however, the overall impression I get is that email is taken less seriously than ground mail or a phone call. In any case, you should always provide your ground mail address in any communications with your Congress members. However, if speed of the essence, use FAX or email because since the Fall of 2001, all Capitol Hill ground mail is exposed to thorough decontamination procedures and therefore can take up to a month to get through.
TSgt Eric Edwards
AFSA Chapter 161
Legislative Trustee
781-377-8096
eric.edwards@hanscom.af.mil
