[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 30846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONOR OUR NATION'S VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KLEIN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 9, 2007

  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor our 
Nation's veterans. This is a day to reflect and give thanks to those 
who have served the United States of America. Their dedication and 
courage to protect America's freedoms should never go unnoticed or 
unappreciated.
  This week, I was proud to introduce the Military Service Tax Relief 
Act, which provides tax relief to members of the military and their 
families. This bill permanently extends a current provision that allows 
military members called to active duty to make withdrawals--penalty-
free--from their retirement plans. It also continues to allow members 
of the military to include combat pay as earned income, thus allowing 
more military members to further capitalize on the Earned Income Tax 
Credit.
  Furthermore, this year, I have been advocating for assured healthcare 
for veterans and I helped pass the largest budget increase in the 77-
year history of the VA, which boosts funding for veterans' services by 
$6.7 billion over last year's level. This funding will help cover the 
VA's increasing patient load and improve health care facilities and 
treatment for service members and veterans.
  This money is increasingly important to Florida, where we have 1.8 
million veterans. And, last year, over 50 veterans moved to Florida 
every day, making it the fastest growing veterans' population in the 
country.
  Florida also has over 100,000 returning soldiers who served in Iraq 
or Afghanistan. In wartime, as our men and women come home, we need to 
realize that they have new needs, and we must find new solutions to 
help return them to productivity in the workforce and in our 
communities.
  With the influx of many more disabled soldiers coming home, I 
supported legislation that includes $62 million to hire new claims 
processors to address the 400,000 claim backlog and $20 million to help 
speed up administering initial disability exams.
  On this Veterans Day, and on every day, I honor America's veterans 
and soldiers and continuously express my sincere gratitude for their 
sacrifices.

                          ____________________