Rashida Tlaib: “I thank Chairman Takano and the committee staff for working with me on this important amendment and for their leadership…”

“I thank Chairman Takano and the committee staff for working with me on this important amendment and for their leadership on this bill. I can't thank him enough and look forward to him one day coming to my district for a visit to our VA hospital that we love and cherish. Mr. Speaker, the transition of being on Active Duty to being a veteran is not easy. The EVEST Act helps with that transition and makes life easier for those who served our Nation. This act is also a great opportunity to review the automatic enrollment programs and learn what works and what doesn't, because ensuring effective implementation is critical to its success. Mr. Speaker, I am a social worker at heart, and we have to ensure that our veterans' lives are changing for the better with this bill. My amendment ensures the lessons learned during implementation of the program are preserved for other agencies, as well as to learn, again, what to do and what not to do. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the committee for working with me on this and look forward to my colleagues' support of this amendment. I also look forward to working with the committee on a number of other issues impacting our veterans, especially veteran suicide and access to mental health services.”