Amata Co-Sponsors Three Bipartisan Veterans Bills

Washington, D.C.- Thursday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata has co-sponsored three bipartisan bills that concern military veterans. The first bill, HR 1772, is officially titled as the Passports for Purple Hearts Act and would exempt recipients of the venerated Purple Heart decoration from paying fees associated with obtaining a US passport. This bill is led by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and supported by Members of both parties, including GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

The second bill that Amata co-sponsored is co-led by Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele (D-Hawai'i) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC). Titled the Serving Our LGBTQ Veterans Act, this bill would establish a Center for LGBTQ Veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This LGBTQ Center would serve as the primary advisor to the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs on issues pertaining to LGBTQ veterans, as well as monitoring and coordinating VA administration of health care, benefits, services, and programs for LGBTQ veterans. The bill models its approach on existing VA Centers for Minority Veterans and Women Veterans.

In a third action in support of the veteran community, Amata co-sponsored HR 5543, the Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act. This bipartisan bill, led by Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Gregorio Kilili Sablan (D-Northern Marianas), would direct the VA Secretary to establish more Veterans support centers in highly dense areas, as well as establish the first VA permanent center in the Northern Mariana Islands.

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"I am deeply honored to co-sponsor these pieces of legislation for the veterans of American Samoa and this great country," said Amata. "While many other states and territories do not need passports to travel within the US, American Samoans do. Exempting our Purple Heart veterans, who have been wounded in combat, from passport fees is the very least that we as a country can do to thank them for their service."

"I am also pleased to join my dear friend and colleague from Hawai'i, Rep. Kai Kahele, in providing more care and support to LGBTQ veterans. What we are proposing is not radical, as the VA already has existing Centers for minority communities. LGBTQ veterans are veterans, and they deserve all our support."

"Finally, I wholeheartedly support the Vet Centers bill, which I know has been the object of all the hard work of my dear friend Rep. Kilili Sablan from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Along with Guam, we represent populations with veterans that are thousands of miles away from the mainland. American Samoa is fortunate to have a VA center serving our veterans, and it is about time that the veterans in the CNMI got a permanent VA center."

"This country owes all that we have to the hard work and sacrifices to our veterans. It is incumbent on us to support them as much as we can. This mission is even more personal for me, both as a daughter of a WWII veteran and a proud elected representative of a place that has some of the highest enlistment rates and veterans' populations in America. I am committed to using all the influence I have in Washington, including as a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, to ensure that we provide quality care commensurate with the years of dedicated service that our veterans gave this country."

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