Last week, at a U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., went to bat for two bills focused on healthcare for veterans and their families.
Steube is backing the “VA Child Care Protection Act” from U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. According to Steube’s office the bill “would protect children of veterans by prohibiting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from employing any individual in a child care center who has been charged with a sex crime, crime involving a child, a violent crime, or a drug felony.” Other backers from the Florida delegation include Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Neal Dunn. So far, the bill has not made much progress, lingering in committee for more than a year with no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
Steube also is backing the “VA Mental Health Staffing Improvement Act” from U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., which “would direct the Secretary of the VA to submit a plan to Congress to address the staffing of mental health providers within the VA, including a plan for filling any open positions.” Other backers from Florida include Democrat U.S. Rep. Darren Soto. Hayes introduced the bill at the start of the month and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has a related bill over in the Senate.
After both bills were discussed by the committee on Thursday, Steube weighed in on them.
“After serving our nation, America’s heroes deserve top-notch care for themselves and their families,” Steube said on Friday. “These bipartisan pieces of legislation will not only provide extra resources for an underserved aspect of VA health care, but will also protect their children from predators in child care facilities.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
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