JULY 2019
 |
| Breaking ground for the Butte Veteran's
Home. |
TOP STORY - FIGHTING FOR ELDERLY
VETERANS
• The number of pension poachers have
steadied increased in Montana. To address this problem, I’ve
introduced S.2407 the Financial Refuge for Every Elderly
(FREE) Veteran Act to punish those responsible for taking advantage
of Montana’s veterans. I introduced this bill after hearing
from Pat Purdue, the widow of a World War II Navy Veteran from Kalispell
who had a company illegally steal the majority of her pension. Read
more about Pat's story in the Daily Inter
Lake.
SUPPORTING THE
MILITARY, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES
• On
July 22nd, I had the pleasure of meeting Major General Barbara
Holcomb, U.S. Army from Miles City prior to her retirement after 32 years of
service. MajGen Holcomb was the first female Commander of the U.S.
Army Medical Research and Development Command. A summary of her
achievements were inserted into the Congressional
Record.
• On July 2nd, I spoke at the ground breaking ceremony
for the new South West Montana Veterans
Home. From the moment I began serving Montana as a member the House of
Representatives in 2013, I have fought to build the Butte home and
ensure that the VA prioritizes its construction. I’m glad the efforts
of many have brought about this important victory for Montana
veterans.
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|
Meeting with Major General Barbara
Holcomb. |
MY RECENT BIPARTISAN VETERANS' LEGISLATION
• To support our warfighters battling the
compulsion of gambling, I co-led S.2060 Gambling
Addiction Prevention Bill with Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA). This bill
implements programs that prevent and treat gambling disorders among
members of the Armed Forces.
• Focused on improving
Montana’s STEM program enrollment, I cosponsored Senator John
Cornyn’s (TX) S.2011 Veteran STEM Scholarship Act
of 2019 to lower the scholarship eligibility from a 128 credit hour
requirement to 120 credit hour requirement.
• To expand the
reach of services aimed at preventing veterans’ suicide, I
sponsored Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (MA) S.1906
Improve Well Being for Veterans Act to create a new grant program
at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve coordination of
veteran mental health and suicide prevention services.
•
As a strong supporter of growing the economy, I cosponsored Senator
Jacky Rosen’s (NV) S.2100 Veterans Job
Opportunities Act to provide veterans starting a small business with a 15%
tax credit on the first $50,000 of their small business’ startup
costs in underserved communities.
Best
Wishes,
Steve
Daines
United States Senate
