Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Florida, and I rise today in support of H.R. 1171, the FOR VETS Act of 2013. This bipartisan legislation will allow veterans service organizations access to Federal surplus property. In December, 2010, President Obama signed the original FOR VETS Act into law. This legislation added qualified VSOs to the list of organizations eligible to receive Federal surplus property under the Federal surplus property program. However, the wording of the statute requires all organizations to demonstrate that they are acquiring the property for purposes of public health or education. Unlike many of the other organizations on the list, most VSOs are not set up to administer a health or education program. A strict interpretation of the law by the General Services Administration has prevented these VSOs from accessing Federal surplus as Congress intended. Our bill would simply correct the error in current law and ensure that qualified VSOs will have the access to Federal surplus that our veterans have earned. This bill has been scored by the CBO as having no significant impact on spending. In this difficult economy, veterans service organizations can use valuable service items that are considered surplus property to better serve those who have given so much to our Nation. Some of these items could be a refrigerator for everyday use at a local post or even a vehicle to be used to take disabled veterans to appointments.…”