Friends,

We are officially back home in the district for the month of August! Although I miss the halls of Congress and the feeling I get every time I walk onto the House floor to represent Virginia, it is good to be back home with my family, friends, and the people of Hampton Roads. I believe it is so important to meet up with people directly to hear from them how I can continue to serve them in government. There is still work to do and I'm looking forward to continuing to share what we're working on while we're home....!

Boosting Veteran-Owned Businesses

We're incredibly blessed to have more than 100,000 veteran-owned small businesses in Virginia, which - at 8.4% of all small businesses in our Commonwealth - is the 3rd highest number in the United States! While I'm incredibly proud that so many of our veterans have found success in Virginia, I know that returning to civilian life after serving at home and abroad is incredibly difficult. These challenges are elevated for those with service connected disabilities (SCDs), a population which makes up 27% of our nation's veterans.

Owning a small business can be an incredibly rewarding experience; however, it can also be an incredibly challenging one, especially for those living with SCDs. Last week, Congressman Frank Mrvan from Indiana and I introduced the Investing in VETS Act to better serve these veterans who have sacrificed so much in service to us!

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will assist our veteran-owned small businesses by requiring no less than 5% of federal government contracts to be awarded to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) each fiscal year. The current number is at 3%.

This bill will bolster our SDVOSBs, improving the lives of our former servicemembers while helping our economy, which is a win-win in my book!

As the top two members on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Congressman Mrvan and I will continue to introduce legislation and hold hearings to ensure that every single veteran-related dollar spent by our federal government is directly benefitting our men and women who served.

If you're interested in learning more about the Investing in VETS Act of 2023, you can do so by clicking on the picture above.

Celebrating our Commonwealth's Agricultural Industry

On Thursday morning, members of my team attended the 2023 Virginia Agriculture Exposition at Land of Promise Farms right here in Virginia Beach! Click on the picture below to watch a recap of the event:

Around 2000 people attended this showcase of our Commonwealth's agricultural prowess alongside my team, Governor Glenn Youngkin, and other state and local officials. The VA Ag Expo is the largest agricultural field day held each year; it was an honor to host it in the Second District!

I will remain a loud advocate for our farmers and ranchers in Congress!

40 Years of Strengthening Community Partnerships

Tuesday was National Night Out's (NNO) 40th year! Across Hampton Roads - and the United States - law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve came together to strengthen their relationships.

My team attended NNO events around Virginia's Second District, where they engaged in productive conversations focused on how my office can support the brave men and women who serve and protect our communities.

Our law enforcement officers and community leaders are so important to the continued safety and prosperity of Southeast Virginia. Thank you so much to everyone who attended the more than 150 NNO events across the Commonwealth… it is clear that Virginians stand united in our commitment to build positive relationships with those who risk their lives each and every day to keep our communities safe.

Addressing the Healthcare Workforce Shortage

Following my 10 year career as a Navy helicopter pilot - and some time at home raising our four children - I returned to school, obtaining nursing degrees from Old Dominion University and Vanderbilt University before serving as a primary care geriatric nurse practitioner in Hampton Roads. The GI Bill was instrumental in allowing me to achieve this education; however, many healthcare professionals do not have access to these benefits.

The out-of-control cost of education is one of the main barriers to entry to the healthcare field. There are two main Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Programs designed to assist nurse practitioners repay their student loans: the NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. Depending on which career path students choose, one of these two programs might make more sense than the other. There is, however, one major difference: the NURSE Corps Program - which has a potential 85% loan payoff - is subjected to federal income taxes, while the NHSC Program is not.

To help solve this disparity, my colleagues and I introduced the bipartisan Nurse Corps Parity Act!

It's no secret that our healthcare industry is facing a national workforce shortage. This important legislation will take a big step to address this challenge by amending the Internal Revenue Service code to ensure participants in the NURSE Corps program receive the same tax treatment afforded to those in the NHSC program.

To be eligible for the NURSE Corps program, participants must agree to work at least two years in "Critical Shortage Facilities", meaning that the passage of this legislation will directly assist underserved areas of our nation, particularly our rural communities. In Washington, we're exploring every avenue to repair these shortcomings, especially during the unprecedented challenges facing healthcare practices across the country.

I look forward to getting this bill to the House floor for a vote! In the meantime, my colleagues and I will continue to find ways to incentivize our nation's best and brightest to serve their communities in the healthcare field.

Coffee with the Congresswoman!

I'm excited to announce that we'll be hosting another "Coffee with the Congresswoman" next week: our first on the Eastern Shore! Please join me at my Onley office next Tuesday from 10:00-11:00 AM with any questions you want to ask, concerns you may have, or just to say hi! I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I want to highlight Medal of Honor recipient Major Louis Joseph Sebille (Medal of Honor Action Date: August 5, 1950.

Major Louis Sebille was serving with the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, 5th Air Force near Hanchang, Korea in August of 1950. While assaulting a heavily camouflaged enemy concentration of troops, artillery, and armor, his F-51 Aircraft was severly damaged. With the knowledge that he could not stay airborne for long, Maj. Sebille continued his attack against the enemy forces instead of crash landing or ejecting from the aircraft.

Fueled by the desire to inflict damage upon the hostile forces threatening the safety of friendly ground troops, Maj. Sebille exposed himself to enemy fire and dived upon a enemy gun batteries, where he was killed in action.

Major Louis Sebille was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg at March Air Force Base on August 24, 1951 for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty". He was born on November 21, 1915 in Harbor Beach, Michigan and is buried at Forest Home Cemetery (MH) (NL-13) in Chicago, Illinois. His Medal of Honor was presented to his widow and is accredited to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

Before his service and death during the Korean War, Major Sebille flew also bombing missions in World War II's European Theater from 1943-1945.

Five Fast Facts about Washington, DC!

1. George Washington died before the White House was finished, though he did lay its cornerstone on October 13, 1792.
2. There’s a bronze statue called the Statue of Freedom topping the Capital building. It may seem small from far away, but it’s more than 19 feet tall and weighs around 15,000 pounds.
3. According to Census Bureau data, residents of Washington, D.C. speak at least 168 different languages at home. 
4. Washington D.C. houses more than 175 embassies and international cultural centers.
5. The Washington Monument sways .125th of an inch when the wind blows at least 30 miles per hour. 

I hope to see many of you out and about this week!

As always, please don't hesitate to contact my D.C. Office at (202) 225-4215 or my Virginia Beach District Office at (757) 364-7650 with questions, concerns, or if you require assistance with a federal agency. And don't forget - if you’d like to stay up to date with what I’m working on, check out my website and follow my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (linked below) to stay up to date!

Take care,

Jen A. Kiggans

Congresswoman, Virginia's Second District