[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 865 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 865

Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of 
                veterans from the great State of Texas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2023

   Ms. Crockett (for herself, Mr. Fallon, Mr. Allred, Mr. Babin, Mr. 
  Carter of Texas, Mr. Casar, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. 
  Cuellar, Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Ellzey, Ms. Escobar, Mrs. 
 Fletcher, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, 
Ms. Granger, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, 
Mr. Luttrell, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Moran, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Self, 
    Mr. Sessions, Mr. Veasey, and Mr. Weber of Texas) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of 
                veterans from the great State of Texas.

Whereas the United States of America owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to 
        the brave men and women who have served in its Armed Forces, 
        safeguarding liberties and upholding the democratic principles upon 
        which the United States was founded;
Whereas the country observes November 11 of each year as ``Veterans Day'', a 
        Federal holiday honoring the men and women who served and sacrificed for 
        the United States of America;
Whereas Texas boasts a proud tradition of producing remarkable veterans who make 
        extraordinary contributions to society;
Whereas Texas is home to more than 1,600,000 veterans;
Whereas veterans comprise 15 percent of the population in the State of Texas;
Whereas women comprise more than 11 percent of the total Texas veteran 
        population;
Whereas people of color comprise roughly one-third of the veterans in Texas;
Whereas Texas has 11 veterans currently serving in the 118th Congress as 
        Representatives for the Lonestar State;
Whereas Texans have served with distinction in all military conflicts involving 
        the United States of America, including World War I, World War II, the 
        Korean war, the Vietnam war, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, 
        Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom;
Whereas more than 22,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in World War II;
Whereas more than 1,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Korean War;
Whereas more than 2,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Vietnam war;
Whereas more than 100 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Enduring 
        Freedom;
Whereas more than 400 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Iraqi 
        Freedom;
Whereas veterans across the country continue to face challenges in accessing 
        essential resources supporting their successful transition to civilian 
        life;
Whereas Texas is home to countless medical facilities of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs, including Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, the 
        Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the Kerrville VA Hospital, Doris 
        Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Dallas VA 
        Medical Center;
Whereas nearly half of patients served by the Veterans Health Administration 
        have been diagnosed with a mental illness or substance use condition;
Whereas post-traumatic stress disorder has accounted for the majority of 
        disabilities women veterans suffer from as a result of their military 
        service;
Whereas veteran mental health struggles have led to staggering statistics in 
        veteran suicide rates, where roughly 17 veteran lives are lost per day 
        as a result of suicide;
Whereas, in 1994, Congress established the Center for Minority Veterans and the 
        Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans under the Veterans' Benefits 
        Improvements Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-446) to advise to the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs on administering Department of Veterans Affairs 
        benefits for minority veterans by reviewing reports and studies on 
        compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefits 
        and services administered by the Department, and ensure all veterans 
        receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender;
Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that more than 
        31,000 veterans are homeless, with nearly half experiencing unsheltered 
        homelessness;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed several housing 
        assistance initiatives, including integrating increasing voucher use and 
        accelerate housing placements, increasing veterans' access to legal 
        services through legal services grants and community partnerships, as 
        well as assisting with advancing veteran employment within the labor 
        force to address the complex problems surrounding homeless veterans;
Whereas Texas leads the Nation in both overall veteran-owned and women-veteran-
        owned businesses; and
Whereas, despite gains with veteran-owned businesses, roughly two-thirds of 
        veterans struggle with the transition from military service to civilian 
        life, and note that ``finding a job'' is one of the greatest challenges 
        in doing so given the difficulty with transferring their military skills 
        to a civilian work environment: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the service, sacrifice, and contributions Texas 
        veterans and their families have made to the cause of peace and 
        freedom around the world;
            (2) commits to working with, where proper, the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs and appropriate executive agencies to 
        ensure that veterans are provided timely care and are given the 
        benefits and compensation they are entitled to as a result of 
        their service;
            (3) reaffirms the commitment of Congress to assisting 
        veterans with their transition to civilian life upon concluding 
        their service in the Armed Forces; and
            (4) recognizes that Congress must continue to invest in 
        vital programs and resources to support the brave men and women 
        veterans who have safeguarded the Nation's liberties and upheld 
        democratic principles at home and abroad.
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