washingtonscene

Where Do Your Legislators Stand? The summary below shows the positions of your senators and representative on a number of key issues important to MOAA members. This summary reflects legislators’ statuses as cosponsors of MOAA-supported bills rather than ac- tual votes on the issues, except as noted in the explanations below.

Senate Cosponsorship State

Senator/party affiliation

SBP

CONCURRENT RECEIPT

CAREGIVER EXPANSION

VETERAN STATUS

VA ACCESS

FOR FEMALE VETERANS

MILITARY SPOUSE

EMPLOYMENT

House Cosponsorship State/district

Representative/ party affiliation

SBP

CONCURRENT RECEIPT

CAREGIVER EXPANSION

VETERAN STATUS

VA ACCESS

FOR FEMALE VETERANS

MILITARY SPOUSE

EMPLOYMENT

+ means the legislator has sponsored or cosponsored one of the associated bills listed below. - means the legislator has not cosponsored any of the relevant bills.

Note 1: Your legislator identification is based on your mailing address in your MOAA membership record unless you have given MOAA a separate voting address. Note 2: Many congressional/committee leaders have a policy against cosponsoring bills on issues within their purview.

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) legislation would reduce or end the deduction of VA survivor benefits from SBP annuities or increase the amounts payable to survivors subject to deduc- tion. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 979 (Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 1594 (Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.).

Concurrent receipt legislation would reduce or eliminate the deduction of VA disability compensation from military retired pay. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 271 (Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 303 (Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.) or H.R. 333 (Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.).

Caregiver expansion legislation would provide veterans of all eras the full range of caregiver support services through the VA. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 1085 (Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 1969 (Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I.).

Veteran status legislation would grant veteran status to mem- bers of the reserve components who served a career of 20 years or more and are military retirees but who, through no fault of their own, are not recognized by our government as veterans. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 743 (Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 1384 (Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.).

VA access for female veterans legislation would improve services and standards for female veterans using the VA. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 471 (Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 1356 (Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo.).

Military spouse employment legislation would authorize tax credits for employers who hire military spouses or cred- its for military spouses who incur relicensing/credentialing expenses associated with a military-ordered move between states. A “+” indicates Senate cosponsorship of S. 759 (Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.) or House cosponsorship of H.R. 1620 (Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa.).

OCTOBER 2015 MILITARY OFFICER 35