From: Wayne Gatewood, Jr
Subject: Veterans News for Wednesday, June 20, 2012
30.Caring For Veterans. Oregonian Two Oregon residents praised Veterans Affairs' healthcare system, while Ann L. Younger said her husband gets good care from VA's hospital in Portland.
31.Vet Center Due Gratitude for Serving Vets With PTSD. In a letter to the editor of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (6/19, 25K), Grand Junction resident Jake Faverman says that because of the Vet Center in Grand Junction, "Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who were thrown under the bus by the VA Medical Center will still have a support group." Faverman adds, "I thought veterans were the No. 1 priority at the Veterans Administration. Obviously not Vietnam vets with PTSD."
32.Open House Exhibits Blind Rehab Skills. Norwich (CT) Bulletin Joseph Petrini, a blind rehab specialist with the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center, said his center "recently sponsored an open house at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven." The event showcased the "blind rehabilitation skill areas of low vision."
33.Job Done! Daily News Helps Two Vets Secure Dream Jobs At Top NYC Financial Services Companies. New York Daily News
34.O.C. 1812 Veteran Honored 200 Years Later. Orange County (CA) Register
35.New Film Sheds Light On Military Sexual Assaults. KGTV-TV
36.Powwow Aids Veterans In Many Ways. Kennebec (ME) Journal
37.VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as June 20, 2012:
June 21, 2012. HVAC, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity will hold a hearing on pending legislation. 10:00 A.M.; 334 Cannon
June 27, 2012. SVAC will conduct a legislative hearing. The agenda is comprised mainly of bills regarding health care, disability compensation, and NCA matters. 10:00 A.M.; 418 Russell
- 1756 – A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
- 1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
- 1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the United States.
- 1819 – The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. She is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
- 1837 – Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.
- 1840 – Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
- 1862 – Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.
- 1863 – American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.
- 1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
- 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army begins a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, China.
- 1942 – The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
- 1943 – The Detroit Race Riot breaks out and continues for three more days.
- 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot".
- 1944 – Continuation war: the Soviet Union demands an unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses.
- 1948 – Toast of the Town, later The Ed Sullivan Show, makes its television debut.
- 1960 – The Mali Federation gains independence from France (it later splits into Mali and Senegal).
- 1963 – The so-called "red telephone" is established between the Soviet Union and the United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- 1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
- 1973 – Ezeiza massacre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured.
- 1979 – ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime.
- 1982 – The Argentine base (Corbeta Uruguay) on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marine commandos in the final action of the Falklands War.
- 1991 – The German Bundestag votes to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin.
- 2009 – During the Iranian election protests, the death of Neda Agha-Soltan is captured on video and spreads virally on the Internet, making it "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history".
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From: Mitchell, Amy [Amy.Mitchell@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 5:41 PM
Subj: MEDIA ADVISORY: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity to Hold a Legislative Hearing
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2012 CONTACT: Amy Mitchell (202) 225-3527
***** MEDIA ADVISORY *****
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity to Hold a Legislative Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C.undefinedOn Thursday, June 21, 2012, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity will hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 3860, H.R. 4115, H.R. 4740, and H.R. 5747.
WHO: Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
WHAT: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3860, H.R. 4115, H.R. 4740, and H.R. 5747
WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, June 21, 2012, Room 334, Cannon House Office Building
WITNESS LIST
Panel 1
The Honorable John Garamendi (CA-10)
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Steve Stivers (OH-15)
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Elijah Cummings (MD-7)
United States House of Representatives
Panel 2
Mr. Ryan M. Gallucci, Deputy Director
National Legislative Service
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Mr. Steve L. Gonzalez, Assistant Director
National Economic Commission
The American Legion
MG Andrew “Drew” Davis, USMC (Ret.), Executive Director
The Reserve Officers Association
Mr. John S. Odom, JR., Esq.
Jones and Odom L.L.P.
Panel 3
Mr. Mike Frueh, Director
Loan Guaranty Service
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied By:
Mr. John Brizzi, Deputy Assistant General Counsel
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Mr. John K. Moran, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations & Management
Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
U.S. Department of Labor
Accompanied By:
Ms. Gerri F. Fiala, Deputy Assistant Secretary
Employment and Training Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
Mr. Fredrick E. Vollrath, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management
U.S. Department of Defense
Summary of legislation to be discussed:
H.R. 3860: Help Veterans Return to Work Act, introduced by Rep. John Garamendi
H.R. 4115: Helping Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Return to Employment at Home Act, introduced by Rep. Steve Stivers
H.R. 4740: Fairness for Military Homeowners Act of 2012, introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter
H.R. 5747: Military Family Home Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Elijah Cummings
For more news from the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, please visit:
Veterans.House.Gov
Find us on Facebook at: Facebook.com/HouseVetsAffairs or follow us on Twitter at:
@HouseVetAffairs
------------------------------
From: Mitchell, Amy [Amy.Mitchell@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 5:38 PM
Subj: Fiduciary Reform Takes Center Stage at Subcommittee Hearing
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2012 CONTACT: Amy Mitchell (202) 225-3527
Fiduciary Reform Takes Center Stage at
Subcommittee Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C.undefined Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (O&I) heard testimony considering four pieces of legislation: H.R. 2985, H.R. 3730, H.R. 4481, and H.R. 5948.
The Veterans Fiduciary Reform Act of 2012, introduced by Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations Chairman Rep. Bill Johnson will bring much needed reforms in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Fiduciary Program. At a February oversight hearing on the Fiduciary Program, it was revealed that the program was failing its intended purpose and putting many veterans at great financial risk.
“The Veterans Fiduciary Reform Act of 2012 is based on problems uncovered before, during, and after our February hearing, as well as from valuable input from Veterans Service Organizations and individual veterans on the ground who have experienced difficulties with the program,” Johnson said. “This legislation will require a credit and criminal background check every time a fiduciary is appointed, and allow veterans to petition to have their fiduciary removed if problems arise.”
The Veterans Affairs Employee Accountability Act (H.R. 4481) recently introduced by subcommittee member Rep. Phil Roe was also discussed. The bill will ensure that VA employees in violation of any civil law do not receive any retention incentive, payment, or award for or during the year of such violation.
“VA Employees that are knowingly violating civil contracts have not only avoided punishment, some of them are actually receiving annual bonuses. VA officials have downplayed these awards for bad behavior that highlights the lack of oversight at VA,” said Rep. Roe.
“The Veterans Affairs Employee Accountability Act will close the loopholes in the system, and hold VA employees accountable for their actions. Financial incentives can be a valuable retention tool, but should not be given to employees who break the law. They need to be based on superior performance on behalf of America’s veterans, nothing less.”
Also considered today was H.R. 2985, the Veteran’s I.D. Card Act, introduced by Rep. Todd Akin, as well as H.R. 3730, the Veterans Data Breach Timely Notification Act, introduced by Rep. Joe Donnelly. The Veteran’s I.D. Card Act will require VA to issue veterans’ I.D. cards to any veteran who requests one. “By providing veterans this option they will have at their disposal a more rugged and safer form of identification to prove their military service,” said Rep. Akin.
For more news from the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, please visit:
Veterans.House.Gov
Find us on Facebook at: Facebook.com/HouseVetsAffairs or follow us on Twitter at:
@HouseVetAffairs
A welcoming home for our Troops.
