[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14578]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IT IS TIME TO STOP PENALIZING DISABLED MILITARY RETIREES

  (Mr. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop penalizing disabled 
military retirees for having served our country for 20 or 30 years. It 
is time to stop the disabled veterans tax that reduces military 
retirees' benefits when the Veterans' Administration determines that 
they are disabled.
  This issue is known by veterans as the concurrent receipt problem. I 
know it as the concurrent deceit problem.
  Today, through the strong leadership of the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Marshall), the 300-plus House Members who have year after year 
cosponsored the Bilirakis bill to deal with concurrent receipt for 
military retirees can actually do something about passing that bill, 
rather than just taking credit for cosponsoring it as they speak at 
home to their veteran service groups.
  It is time to be honest with America's veterans. It is time to stop 
the hypocrisy of year after year having a majority of the House 
cosponsor this bill and we never have a hearing, never have a vote on 
it.
  If cosponsors will sign the gentleman from Georgia's (Mr. Marshall) 
petition today, we can have a vote on this bill before the 4th of July. 
Let us pass the Marshall discharge petition.

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