Two bipartisan Wenstrup bills included in House-approved Senate veterans’ legislation

Language from two bipartisan proposals offered by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) made it into the U.S. Senate’s Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, which received U.S. House approval on Dec. 10.

S. 2248 contains provisions from the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2018, H.R. 4451, which Rep. Wenstrup introduced in November 2017 with U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA). It also includes the Gold Star Spouses Leasing Relief Act, H.R. 5882, which the congressman introduced on May 18 with U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL).

“I thank my colleagues for supporting these bills to assist our veterans and their families,” Rep. Wenstrup said on Monday following House passage of S. 2248. The legislation passed the Senate on March 1.

Rep. Wenstrup’s bills were part of a House amendment made to S. 2248, a bipartisan package that includes many previously House-passed provisions related to the improvement of transition assistance for veterans, changes to the GI Bill, healthcare improvements, amendments to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, improvements to veterans’ burial benefits, and other improvements to veterans’ benefits, according to a statement released by the House Republican Policy Committee.

“As we near the end of the 115th Congress, I am happy that the House passed yet another piece of legislation that helps our veterans,” said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), chairman of the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, this week. “The House has already passed over 80 veterans’ bills this Congress, and this legislation includes many of those bills. This bill does a range of important things, from increasing veterans’ benefits to improving the transition process.”

On the House floor prior to the chamber’s vote on S. 2248, Rep. Wenstrup said the legislation “makes good” on a promise made by the nation “to support our troops from the day they take their oath of office through their post-service careers.”

During his comments, the lawmaker also said that adding language from his H.R. 4451 “makes critical eligibility changes to VA housing programs, empowering homeless veterans to re-enter the workforce and regain self-sufficiency.”

Likewise, Rep. Wenstrup noted that inclusion of his other bill, H.R. 5882, would ensure that Gold Star families would be able to more quickly terminate a residential lease following the death of their service member. American Gold Star families are immediate relatives of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been killed in combat or in support of certain military activities. Gold star pins are worn by spouses, parents and children of service members killed in the line of duty, according to Voice of America.
S. 2248 now heads back to the Senate to be finalized on its way toward becoming a federal law.