Altmire pushes bills for vetsPittsburgh Post-Gazette |
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(Washington, DC) — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called it a "remarkable achievement." Rep. Jason Altmire, the freshman Democrat from McCandless, managed to attach two measures to the National Defense Authorization Act that are aimed at helping the nation's veterans. The first measure would enhance treatment of traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the second would help military families cope with financial and other burdens of extended deployments. The House approved the authorization bill this week, and the Senate is expected to follow quickly. Democratic leaders are going out of their way to help freshmen score legislative victories as the majority party tries to maintain its power in next year's elections. Mr. Altmire has been a beneficiary. "I am pleased that my two initiatives -- to treat TBI among our returning veterans and to help our military families deal with issues that arise from deployment -- were included," Mr. Altmire said. "Millions of our veterans and their families will benefit from these achievements." Some are in his congressional district, which has an exceptionally large number of veterans. # # # |