Jeff Miller: “For 24 years Mike Bilirakis served as a staunch advocate for veterans, not only on the floor of this House, but in the…”

“For 24 years Mike Bilirakis served as a staunch advocate for veterans, not only on the floor of this House, but in the committee room, serving on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, including vice-chairman of the full committee. Mike strongly promoted equitable and improved benefits for all of our Nation's veterans and their families as well. One of his signature efforts has already been talked about today, and that was concurrent receipt, H.R. 303. We all remember that very well because that was his signature bill that he pushed on the floor of this House. But his work was not just there. I mean, he was instrumental in seeing that the Department of Veterans Affairs took care of surviving spouses, as the ranking member just said, through the Survivor Benefit Plan. He reassured veterans everywhere that they were not forgotten. And as chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and investigations, he made sure that the VA carried out its mission through its responsibilities. Another one of the key accomplishments of Mike's during his tenure was funding for the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the James Haley VA Medical Center.”