Jeff Miller: “I do rise to express my overwhelming support of this conference report. With the passage of this conference report…”

“I do rise to express my overwhelming support of this conference report. With the passage of this conference report tonight, the 'widows' tax' will die. It will die a year and a half more quickly than any other SBP bill that has ever been proposed because this amendment was vigorously supported by our chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), chairman of the Subcommittee on Total Force, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), and defended amidst the Senate provisions with the House conferees. This is an authorization measure of which this body can be proud. In less than 4 years from now, we will have fully restored SBP to what was promised from the beginning to America's surviving spouses. Since coming to this body, I have been working this issue, and so have many others. It has been nothing if not a team effort, and the time is right for this reform. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who deserve to be recognized and thanked for their efforts. Nearly 80 percent of this body has cosponsored one of my two SBP bills in this Congress.”