Now that we have a final budget, I want to provide you a brief summary of all the veteran and military legislation that was considered by the General Assembly.

 

There were a total of 75 Bills and Resolutions introduced in the 2012 General Assembly; 44 of them were signed into law by the Governor for a 59% success rate.  Overall it was a good year for our veteran/military population.  On the Budget side of the ledger, there were 15 Budget Amendments introduced; six of them were successful.  This was a very challenging budget year and I am pleased to report that the most important veterans' initiatives survived the budget process.  Among these was my amendment to fund an automated claims processing system for DVS; $1.3M in reprogramming from the Department of Juvenile Justice to DVS; $197K each year for Homeless Veterans (the original request was for $150K); funding for four additional claims agents; $6.3M to operate the Sitter & Barfoot addition; and $160K/YR for DVS internal funding.  We were not able to fund $350K for a study on the location of a Veterans Care Center in Hampton Roads; however, we did authorize a loan for the study if the US Veterans Administration provides funding for this facility.   The Governor also submitted an amendment to the final budget that passed both the House and the Senate. It will provide $199,900.00 in FY2013 and $187,000.00 in FY2014 to establish a Fort Monroe Freedom Support Center designed to provide a one-stop location for the families of military service members, retiring service members and veterans by bringing together the Department of Veterans' Affairs and nonprofit organizations serving the military.  The position is for a Center director, who would serve as a veterans' claims agent and recruit nonprofit organizations to support the Center's purpose. This will add an additional claims agent and is another step toward the Governor's goal of making Virginia the most veteran friendly state in the nation.  I was especially pleased to vote for this Amendment as I have been working for many years to increase the number of claims officers to support the more than 823,000 veterans that live in the Commonwealth.

Help Richmond say thank you to our returning Iraq War veterans and their families!

 

The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on the Boulevard at Kensington Ave. and proceeds south on the Boulevard ending at the Carillon.

 

The Carillon grounds will host a Veterans Resource Village from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that will feature veterans' service and outreach organizations, including state, federal and local agencies as well as veteran-friendly employers.

 

The resource village will also feature live music, vendors and static military displays.  All are welcome.  Veterans and their families are encouraged to visit the resource village.

~ Program will provide training and career opportunities for military personnel and jobs for veterans, as well as fulfill the trucking and busing industries' needs for qualified licensed commercial vehicle drivers~

             

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell announced today the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is joining forces with the military and transportation-related businesses to put former servicemen and women and National Guard and Reserves members to work in the transportation industry. Through the new Troops to Trucks program, DMV is making it easier for personnel trained by the military to operate heavy vehicles to obtain civilian commercial driver's licenses (CDL).  As a first step, DMV this week certified two military installations as third party testers to train more personnel to operate commercial motor vehicles. Working in partnership with trucking and bus companies, DMV is providing potential transportation-related employment opportunities for military members after service.

 

Click here to continue reading.

 

Congressman Randy Forbes (R-4), along with Congressmen Scott Rigell (R-2) and Rob Wittman (R-1), hosted the first in a series of Defending Our Defenders Listening Tour at the Chesapeake Convention Center on May 14, 2012.  Over a thousand people filled the center to voice their concerns about the impending DoD budget cuts and what the impact of these cuts will mean to Virginians.  The cuts will automatically start January 2013 unless Congress takes action to reduce, delay, or eliminate them.  Up to 200,000 active duty service members will have to leave the service; payment of full retirement could be delayed until age 57; 122,000 jobs will be lost in Virginia alone; and the Commonwealth will lose $10.5B in Gross State Product. Personnel from government agencies, businessmen, the defense industries, and individual citizens rose to voice their nearly unanimous opinion that the entire economy of Virginia would receive a very serious blow. The Congressmen were urged to support a Defense budget sufficient to defend our nation and not look at the budget as a source for less important priorities or to fund new entitlement programs.  Several of my constituents from Colonial Heights and Chesterfield County, to include members of my staff, along with area leaders and concerned citizens, traveled by bus to attend the session.