Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata, Vice Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced on May 17 that the committee has passed a group of 16 veterans’ bills, including several that she cosponsors. The measures now move to consideration by the full House.
The legislation is intended to address a range of issues affecting veterans, from access to healthcare services in the Pacific territories to mental health care and research into blast-related injuries. The advancement of these bills is seen as an effort by lawmakers to fulfill commitments made to veterans and improve their quality of life.
Amata is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan U.S. Vets of the FAS Act (H.R. 6652), which aims to provide telehealth and mail order pharmacy services for U.S. veterans living in Freely Associated States. She also supports the RECOVER Act (H.R. 2283), which would establish a three-year pilot program for grants supporting culturally competent mental health care through nonprofit providers, and backs H.R. 6444, which would create a task force focused on research related to blast overpressure injuries among veterans.
“These bills are important ways to keep our commitment to our Veterans and honor their sacrifice,” said Vice Chairman Amata. “The bills I cosponsor focus on providing VA services in the Pacific, mental health research and improvements, and blast-related care and findings. I’m broadly supportive of this group of Veterans’ legislation, and many of these bills have bipartisan backing.”
Other measures passed by the committee include acts addressing emerging technology opportunities for veterans, infection prevention programs at VA facilities, opioid emergency treatment initiatives for veterans, increased transparency in annual reporting by veteran agencies, fraud reduction efforts within disability exams at VA offices, among others.
The passage marks another step toward potential enactment as these proposals await debate or vote before all members of the House.
