Kilmer-Backed Provisions Included in Military and Veterans Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that includes provisions authored by Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill contains initiatives from Kilmer that increase veterans’ access to care, encourage the use of innovative timber projects by the military, and save taxpayers money at the Department of Veterans Affairs by encouraging the use of commercial cloud computing technology.
The report language accompanying the appropriations bill directs federal agencies to move forward on issues cited by committee members. Kilmer, a member of the Appropriations Committee, also successfully secured investments in key local military installations. The legislation directs funding for veterans’ benefits, programs, services to military families, and construction on military installations.
“This bill moves the ball forward on important priorities for our region,” said Kilmer. “It ensures our military installations are ready for the challenges of the future while honoring our commitment to the men and women who serve and their families. As this bill comes to the floor I will continue to fight for initiatives that show veterans we have their back and encourage the military to invest in innovative timber products that could boost economic opportunities on the Peninsula.”
As part of the legislation headed to the floor Kilmer obtained more than $70 million for construction projects at Naval Base Kitsap. Adequate and timely funding for these projects will help the military continue its national security mission and ensure military construction projects are in compliance with environmental and safety standards.
Kilmer successfully secured language on the following provisions in the appropriations bill that will be voted on in the House:
- Increase Flexibility for Veterans Seeking Healthcare: Encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) to strengthen a rule passed in the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to help rural veterans’ better access needed care. Under the current rule, the VA will pay for veterans who live at least 40 miles from the nearest VA clinic to go to a private facility closer to home. Kilmer and Ranking Member Pete Visclosky successfully obtained a provision for the VA to consider the time it takes to actually drive to the nearest VA clinic, in particular for veterans who live on places like the Olympic Peninsula.
- Properly Recognize Tribes as Veteran Service Organizations: Currently, the VA has not recognized Tribal Governments as veterans’ service organizations. This makes it harder for the tribes and their employees to help Native American veterans receive missing benefits or proper compensation. Kilmer’s provision pushes the VA to use already existing authority to officially recognize interested and qualifying Tribal Governments so that they could help veterans.
- Get Veterans the Benefits They Have Earned: Many veterans who served in foreign conflicts were involved in classified missions. This has made it difficult for them to provide the proper paperwork to the VA to prove they served in order to access benefits they have earned. Kilmer secured a provision that asked the Secretaries of the VA and the Department of Defense to devise a process that allows these veterans to get the care they need without hurting national security.
- Utilize Innovative Wood Products: The use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) products could help reduce future building costs, improve environmental impact, strengthen structures in the face of seismic disturbances, and provide needed opportunities to strengthen our nation’s timber industry. The bill calls on the Department of Defense to collaborate with the USDA and the Forest Service to use innovative building materials such as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) for construction projects.
- Expanding 21st Century IT Systems: Information Technology is growing in its importance to military strength. In order to maintain our edge Representative Kilmer was able to advocate for the use of commercial cloud solutions at the VA that could result in cost savings and quality improvements.
###