[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 32 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E463-E464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMISSION ON SERVICEMEM-BERS AND VETERANS TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 1997

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform Members of the House 
of Representatives that the Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans 
Transition Assistance held its initial meeting on February 26, 1997. 
The Commission was created by Public Law 104-275 to advise Congress on 
the effectiveness of programs designed to assist servicemem-bers and 
their families in their transition from active duty to civilian life. 
The Commission is also charged with studying veterans readjustment 
benefits to determine how well they are

[[Page E464]]

meeting the objective of facilitating veterans readjustment.
  The Commission members elected Mr. Anthony Principi to serve as 
chairman and Mr. Kim Wincup as vice chairman. Mr. Principi is a former 
Deputy Secretary and Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Mr. 
Wincup is a former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) 
and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs). 
Both of these commissioners also have significant experience on Capitol 
Hill, and are well known in military and veterans circles. The 
additional 10 Commission members are: Gen. James B. Davis (Ret.), Mr. 
Richard Johnson, Mr. Mack Fleming, Mr. Tom Harvey, Lt. Col. Renee 
Priore (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Robert (Steve) Stephens (Ret.), Mr. Ron 
Drach, Mr. Christopher Jehn, Lt. Gen. Edgar Chavarrie (Ret.), and Mr. 
Michael Blecker. Each of the members has responsibilities outside of 
the Commission, and I appreciate the job they are about to take on.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to address what I feel to be the most 
important objective for the Commission to accomplish. We have a wide 
variety of benefits for veterans and active duty members about to leave 
the service. These programs have been put in place over the years as 
Congress saw a need and had the resources to meet those needs.
  The Commission's challenge, as I see it, is to determine whether 
these programs work well as a transition and readjustment package. For 
all that our servicemembers do in service to our country, we owe them 
as smooth a return to civilian life as possible, and this Commission's 
job is to provide us with an independent analysis on how well the 
package of programs and benefits are doing the job. Each Commission 
member has a diverse and knowledgeable background in the areas of 
military and veterans' affairs, and I am confident that they can meet 
this challenge.

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