Dear friend,
I hope you enjoy the new look for our Bacon Brief; our constituent information newsletter that we send about 2-4 times a month. We hope you find it easier to read about legislation we are working on and what we have been doing in the district.
As I’m sure you are aware, I had the honor of serving our country in the Air Force for nearly 30 years, retiring as a brigadier general. I have made the strengthening and modernization of our military one of my main focuses, as well as caring for our military spouses and veterans. Below are some recent actions I have taken in these areas:
I am an original cosponsor for H.R. 1453 – Military Spouses Retirement Security Act – which expands access for spouses to employer sponsored retirement plans, thereby enabling them to also save for retirement. In addition, it provides a tax credit to small businesses with respect to each employee who is a military spouse eligible to participate in such plans, rather than requiring them to wait the standard two to four years to vest in a plan.
According to the Department of Defense, nearly 16,000 military personnel previously stationed at Karshi Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan were exposed to a range of toxic chemicals including depleted uranium, lead, asbestos, and other volatile compounds. I joined Reps. Stephanie Bice, Mark Green, and other bipartisan representatives and sent a letter to President Biden, requesting that he follow through with efforts to study this and ensure they have the medical care they need. (Letter linked here.)
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I appreciate all the work our VA has done to ensure our veterans have access to the COVID 19 vaccination. Earlier this year, our staff was notified of some inconsistencies in the eligibility policy for vaccines at the VA facilities. So last February, I wrote two letters to the VA to ensure America's heroes are taken care of, regardless of their VA health care enrollment status. (Letter 1 attached here.) (Letter 2 attached here.)
Just this week, I joined Reps. Antonio Delgado, Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Don Beyer (VA-08), Mike Kelly (PA-16), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), to reintroduce the Military Spouse Hiring Act, bipartisan legislation that incentivizes employers to hire spouses of members of the United States Armed Forces. Research from the Department of Defense and the Hiring Our Heroes Foundation has found that unemployment rates for military spouses far exceed that of the national average. This bill would help close the gap by expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include the hiring of qualified military spouses, allowing employers to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those spouses. The legislation has not yet been posted to Congress.gov, but I will share it with you at a future date once it is listed.
Finally, my office was informed of long-term delays at the National Personal Records system, for veterans who were attempting to obtain their military service and medical records. I sent a letter to the National Archives & Records Administration requesting information about the reasons for the delays and suggestions for what we can do to help the Archives facilitate these requests. (Letter attached here)
If you have any questions or concerns, or need help with a veteran’s issue, please don’t hesitate to contact my district office at https://bacon.house.gov/contact/ or 402-938-0300.
Thank you and God bless our troops!
