The Statement for the Record addressed pending legislation before the House Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR) to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on Jan. 21.
American Legion policy associate Steven Betsch submitted the SFR (download here), which addressed the Legion’s positions on pending legislation:
· HR 982, the Warriors to Workforce Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 305, Support the Development of Veterans On-the-Job Training Opportunities. HR 982 would increase the amount of educational assistance paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to an eligible individual during the first year of a full-time program of apprenticeship or other on-job training.
· HR 2878, the Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 12: Accountability and Enhancements of Transition Assistance Program; Outcomes and Delivery for Today's Digital Transitioning Servicemembers and through Resolution 102: Expansion of the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to include Ancillary Programs and Service. This bill would create a pilot program to add a new component to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to provide servicemembers with mental health counseling, information on services available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and support in addressing transition challenges related to their mental health.
· H.R. 3159, the Improving SCRA Benefit Utilization Act, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 84: Support and Strengthen the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). This bill mandates financial literacy training for servicemembers at various times in their careers, specifically when they begin their service or are activated from a reserve component.
· H.R. 4105, the Veterans Energy Transition Act of 2025, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 2: Improve the Veterans Employment Initiative. This bill would direct the Secretary of Labor to carry out a grant program to help certain members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses, to obtain employment in the energy industry.
· H.R. 5436, which would prohibit an educational institution from withholding a transcript from an individual who pursued a course or program of education at such institution using Post-9/11 educational assistance. The Legion supports H.R. 5436 as currently written through Resolution 318: Ensuring the Quality of Servicemember and Veteran Student's Education at Institutions of Higher Education.
· H.R. 5634, the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2025, which the Legion supports as currently written through Resolution 23: Close the GI Bill Flight School Loophole. This bill would lift the roughly $28,000 annual cap on flight training and allows students to use their funding as needed, up to $100,000 over the life of the program. This change supports students who wish to complete the program at their own pace and corrects an unnecessary burden placed on flight training participants.
The Legion also supports four drafts as currently written, including:
· The Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act, which would include high-tech and emerging technology careers in the definition of programs and require the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with the Department of Labor to identify these careers.
· Legislation which would increase oversight of the VA Home Loan program by mandating a quarterly report from the VA on the number of home loans issued, the number of applications denied, the number of veterans who are late on mortgage payments, and the total number of employees in the VA Home Loan office.
· The Affordable Housing Guarantee Act, which would modify the maximum guaranty amount of certain home loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
· Legislation to eliminate the maximum authorizations of appropriations for certain benefits for homeless veterans administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to make permanent the authority of the Secretary to carry out certain programs for homeless veterans.
- Legislative