Gregorio Sablan: “My bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3730, creates a VA advisory committee for marginalized veterans living in the Marianas…”

“My bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3730, creates a VA advisory committee for marginalized veterans living in the Marianas, the other United States insular areas, and in the freely associated States. Veterans in my district, especially, and in the other insular areas, too, face barriers to VA services no vet should be forced to endure. In Northern Marianas, there are no VA clinics and no Vet Centers. Veterans in my district sometimes fly 3,700 miles to Hawaii or over 6,000 miles to California to access VA services. And that is why my bill, establishing a committee to educate the Secretary on the obstacles insular area veterans face, is so important. Each U.S. insular area and each of the freely associated States would have a seat on the advisory committee. Each would be able to describe the barriers their veterans face in receiving VA services. Establishing an advisory committee will not solve every logistical problem for veterans who live in geographically remote areas of America, but at least those veterans on the margins will have a way to communicate directly with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. And when the Secretary hears about the barriers to service these insular veterans face, maybe, just maybe, change will occur. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minority Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for their support of this bipartisan bill, H.R. 3730.…”