An update on my work for you
Dear Neighbor,
It has been a busy few weeks, so here's an update on my work for you, including important legislation to help veterans, improve nursing home transparency, and more.
Supporting Veterans
I’m proud to report that last week, the House passed three bipartisan bills I introduced to help veterans start their own businesses, protect GI Bill benefits during national emergencies, and allow military families to get out of contracts under certain circumstances.
Here's a breakdown of what each bill will do:
- The Student Veteran Emergency Relief Act will extend veterans’ GI Bill flexibilities that Congress established for COVID-19 to all emergencies declared by the VA and the President.
- The Emergency Relief for Servicemembers Act will allow servicemembers and their families to terminate certain contacts – like those for telephone, cable, and internet service – if they receive certain military orders.
- The VENTURE Act will foster veteran entrepreneurship by expanding veterans’ eligibility for the self-employment portion of the Veteran Readiness and Employment program.
Veterans and military families deserve economic benefits that work when they need them, whether that’s to start a business, pursue higher education, or to protect their financial security.
Each of these bills fixes a different issue, but they are all going to improve economic opportunities and financial security for those who serve.
I've been working closely with LT Ridge Alkonis’s family and supporters to help bring him home. Last week, I joined them outside the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness about his situation.
Rep. Mike Levin joins LT Alkonis's wife Brittany Alkonis in front of the U.S. Capitol in support of bringing Lt. Alkonis home
LT Alkonis doesn't deserve the treatment he's received in Japan, especially given his character and history of service to our country.
I will not give up on LT Alkonis and the United States Government must not either.
Improving Nursing Homes
Families should have the most accurate information available when searching for a nursing home for their loved ones. Unfortunately, some nursing homes do not provide a full public accounting of who their medical director is.
That's why I recently introduced my bipartisan Nursing Home Disclosure Act to help families find nursing homes for their loved ones by requiring nursing homes to disclose their medical director to CMS, which will then publish the information on Medicare's Care Compare website.
Applying for the Congressional App Challenge
My annual Congressional App Challenge is back!
I encourage all eligible students in #CA49 to participate, regardless of their coding experience level. Don't forget to share with the students in your life! The deadline to submit an app is November 1st! More information can be found here.
As always, it's an honor to represent you in Congress. Remember to follow my Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages, and sign up for my e-newsletter for the latest updates from my office.
Best,
Rep. Mike Levin