Live from Capitol Hill: AMVETS to Testify Before House Subcommittees

Today AMVETS Acting Legislative Director Christina Roof will testify before both the House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Live Web casts from both hearings can be viewed at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. by Clicking Here.

The first hearing before the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee came to order this morning in the Veterans Affairs committee chambers in Cannon 340, and will focus on seven pieces of legislation potentially affecting veterans. To view a full list of participants and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

Roof's remarks this morning will focus on four of the bills, which AMVETS supports; the Providing Military Honors for our Nation's Heroes Act, or H.R. 811, which would offer travel reimbursement to organizations that provide military honors for veteran funerals; the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, or H.r. 1407, which will set rates for COLA adjustments for veterans in 2011; H.R. 1627, an act to support uniform definitions for monuments at Arlington National Cemetery, and H.R. 1441, an act which would prohibit the long-overlooked practice of reserving space at Arlington National Cemetery.

In the afternoon, Roof will once again appear in Cannon 340 to testify before the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, addressing four additional pieces of legislation related to veterans' educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. To view a full list or participants and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

Roof's remarks will focus on two pieces of legislation before the subcommittee which AMVETS supports, H.R. 1657, an act which would revise the penalties for small businesses misrepresenting themselves as "veteran-owned" to secure set-aside government contracts; and
H.R. 1383, an act which would temporarily preserve higher tuition reimbursement rates under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill for student veterans attending private institutions of higher learning.

During her remarks, Roof will also address an overlooked inequity in last year's G.I. Bill improvements act, which stripped nearly 400,000 enrolled veterans of living allowance payments during academic break periods.

American Veteran will follow both hearings closely. Check back for highlights.