Veterans’ Groups To Have Joint Hearings Restored

[Guest allan]

fwd:

Thanks to Joe Bello for sending this in.

Veterans’ groups to have joint hearings restored

By Rick Maze

Staff writer

Democratic leaders in Congress are about to announce that they are restoring the traditional legislative presentations for major veterans’ service organizations and military associations that were canceled last year by a Republican committee chairman.

The new House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., plans to reinstate the joint hearings, congressional sources said. A formal announcement of a return of the legislative presentations is expected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., the new Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman; Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii; and Filner.

The announcement will reverse a policy created by Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., who used his position as House Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman to end the annual joint appearances by veterans' groups to give legislative presentations before a joint meeting of the House and Senate veterans committees. Buyer believed the appearances were not helpful to lawmakers because their timing jumped around from year to year, timed to coincide with annual meetings of the organizations rather the congressional schedule or budget process. As such, Buyer decided — over objections from some major veterans’ groups — to stop participating.

House aides who asked not to be identified said Buyer’s decision may have made sense in terms of getting meaningful testimony from veterans’ groups that was more integrated with the annual budget process, but picking a fight with the organizations over the largely ceremonial appearances of veteran leaders who testified before an audience of their membership rubbed many the wrong way.

“Sure, this is not the most hard-hitting series of hearings held each year in Congress, but canceling them was insulting to the leaders of veterans’ groups, and it picked a fight that didn’t have to be fought,” said a House Democratic aide.

Buyer invited the leaders of veterans’ groups to testify early in the 2007 budget process last year, both before and after the Bush administration submitted its funding request to Congress, but those appearances did not mollify the organizations, which appealed to then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., to order Buyer to schedule the joint hearings.

Buyer never budged, although appearances continued before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee because its chairman, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, didn’t share Buyer’s view.

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Statement of Speaker Pelosi:

Democratic Leadership Announces Reinstatement of Joint Veterans Committee Legislative Hearings

Washington, D.C. - Today, congressional leadership from both the House of Representatives and Senate made good on their commitment to America's veterans. In a joint statement issued today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka announced the reinstatement of the traditional joint hearings process in which veterans and military service organizations appear before the Veterans' Affairs Committees. Today's announcement reversed the decision of GOP leadership in the House of Representatives last Congress.

"These longstanding joint hearings provide a vital forum to review the legislative priorities of veterans and military service organizations and allow veterans to directly express their views and interact with Congress," Speaker Pelosi said. "Reinstating the joint hearings will begin anew this valuable dialogue, and will ensure that Congress protects the interests of the brave men and women who have defended our freedom."

"I commend Chairmen Filner and Akaka of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees for their tremendous efforts on behalf of our nations' veterans," Majority Leader Reid said. "By reinstating the joint hearings of their two committees, they have allowed both Chambers of Congress to work together to find solutions for our troops, veterans, and their families. For many years, this has been a vital process to address the concerns of America's Veterans, and I am extremely pleased it will return in the 110th Congress."

"I am very pleased that we are renewing the joint Senate and House hearings. I look forward to meeting with my colleagues in the House once again, to hear the concerns and legislative initiatives of our valued military and veteran constituents," Chairman Akaka said. "Our new majority in the 110th Congress once again gives us the opportunity to respond to the concerns and needs of our veterans and military groups."

"I am proud of today's decision to reinstate the joint hearings. These forums provide veterans and military families an opportunity to voice their concerns and provide guidance to the government for whom they fought and sacrificed so much," said Chairman Filner. "I look forward to working with the veterans' community, the Administration and my colleagues in the House and Senate to provide our troops, veterans, and military families the benefits and health care they have earned and deserve."

The joint hearings have traditionally been held in the spring, after the President submits his budget request to Congress. The hearings are generally tied to the veterans' service organizations national meetings occurring in Washington, D.C. The American Legion traditionally has participated in a joint hearing during the month of September.

[Pete53]

Steve Buyer sitting in the minority warms the cockels of my heart.

[Berta]

Yeah- Pete - this was quite an upsetting situation for vet orgs when he pulled that crap-

as much as I gripe about SOs and vetreps- there is a lot more to these orgs at higher levels and we do need them to have the right to make argument and presentations at these commission hearings.

It is at that level that the major vet orgs speak for us-

Then again they might now start knocking down the lawyers for vets idea-