On the recordJune 22, 2021
I am proud to lend my voice in support of H.R. 983, the ``Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act.'' This bill is a commonsense and needed bipartisan fix to close a loophole in federal law that allows con artists who make in-person pitches to defraud veterans of their well-earned benefits. My state of Texas is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans, and the state of Texas operates a large network of nursing homes for veterans. Veterans at these homes and veterans seeking treatment at medical treatment facilities may be susceptible to the in-person grifters falsely claiming that they can facilitate the provision of additional veterans benefits. This bill would help hold scammers accountable and allow the Department of Justice to protect the integrity of veterans' benefits programs. Protecting veterans and their survivors from these types of in-person scams is particularly important since so many depend on service-connected disability payments. As Chair of the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee, I am focused on addressing fraud and other veterans' issues. To that end, I ask my colleagues here today to join me as I also work on legislation to buttress veterans' courts and to make them more equitable and successful rehabilitation models. I thank my colleague on the Judiciary Committee, Representative Ted Deutch, for championing this bill and persisting in this effort.
