Jon Runyan: “Chairman Miller, thank you and Ranking Member Mr. Michaud for bringing this bill to the floor. H.R. 570 is the American…”

“Chairman Miller, thank you and Ranking Member Mr. Michaud for bringing this bill to the floor. H.R. 570 is the American Heroes COLA Act. This bill, which I introduced at the beginning of the 113th Congress, seeks to make permanent the annual increase to veterans disability compensation rates and other benefits by tying these increases to the cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. With the passage of this act, veterans will no longer again have to depend on congressional action to receive an increase to the cost-of- living adjustment they have more than earned through their service. Instead, these increases will become automatic from year to year. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I am honored again to sponsor this legislation. I'm proud to have our subcommittee ranking member, Ms. Titus, as the lead cosponsor of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I also support the amendment offered by Chairman Miller of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to use the savings generated by H.R. 570 to increase the rate of special monthly compensation paid to our most tragically wounded veterans, and I encourage all Members to support H.R. 570.”