Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3458, as amended, the COLA bill, increases the rates of compensation for veterans with service connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans. The increase would be effective on December 1, 1996, and would be the same percentage increase as applied to Social Security benefits. I would like to take a minute to thank Chairman Simpson and Senator Rockefeller and their staff for all of the hard work done on this and the two veterans bills just passed. I also want to thank all our subcommittee chairman and ranking members on the VA Committee for their hard work and bipartisan approach on our legislation this Congress. In addition, I want to thank the staff members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for their support, hard work and willingness to do things in a bipartisan manner. The veterans' service organizations have worked well with us on these bills and we appreciate their assistance and cooperation as well. I must take just a moment to express my deep appreciation and sincere thanks to the gentleman from Mississippi and my good friend Sonny Montgomery, the ranking minority member of the full committee for his work on this measure, the final veterans bill to be passed during his career in the House.”