Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding. I also thank the chairman, as well as members on the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, especially Chairman Tom McClintock, for their unanimous support of my bipartisan bill, the Free Veterans from Fees Act. I would also like to thank my colleague, the Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, in co-leading this bipartisan effort. Throughout the year, veteran groups visit our national war memorials to take part in honor buses and honor flights and other commemorations that require special use permits issued by the National Park Service. The permit application requires, without exception, that a fee be submitted along with the completed permit application. Specifically, here in our Nation's Capital, The National Mall charges $120 for public gatherings and special events. The Free Veterans from Fees Act would waive the application fee associated with special use permits for any veteran demonstration or special event at war memorials on Federal land. We have a solemn obligation to stand with our veterans. They stood for us. We must stand for them. This simple bill is about fostering a culture in which all veterans are valued for their service and sacrifice to our country. The least we can do is to make it easier for groups of veterans and their families to visit national war memorials so they can honor the contributions of our men and women in uniform.…”