Alice Daniel Hooah! We got us a burn pit bill in Louisiana. First State to introduce BURNPIT legislation. 2 other great bills for vets and their families. Way to go Governor Jihndal and LA Dept of Va Feb 28, 2014 GOVERNOR JINDAL UNVEILS LEGISLATION IN SUPPORT OF VETERANS BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal unveiled three legislative proposals he will pursue during the upcoming legislative session in support of Louisiana veterans. Governor Jindal said, “Over the past six years, we have pursued policies to help our brave veterans who put their lives on the line in defense of our freedom. These new proposals build on our previous work in order to help veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much for our country.” First, Governor Jindal will pursue legislation to expand residential lease protections for military service members and their spouses. Current law allows service members to terminate residential lease agreements without penalty under certain circumstances related to their military service. However, these lease protections don’t apply in circumstances where a service member has been hospitalized or has been killed. Also, often these leases are under a spouse’s name and lease protections cannot apply. The legislation will expand the current applicable lease protection to military spouses. It will also expand protections for service members who have been injured requiring hospitalization as well as those who have been killed while on active duty. The legislation will also require court costs, attorney’s fees, and putative damages to be paid by a lessor to a military service member or spouse prevailing in a suit against a lessor violating the terms of the law. Representative Nick Lorusso will author this legislation. By nature of their service to our country, members of the U.S. Armed Forces must often relocate their families in order to serve at a variety of military installations, says Louisiana State Representative Nick Lorusso. This legislation ensures that our brave military personnel and their spouses will be protected from unfair or overly strict residential leasing practices and gives them greater flexibility to make decisions that best serve their family. Second, Governor Jindal will pursue legislation that will establish a voluntary registry for veterans exposed to dangerous burn pits during wartime. In 1985, a registry was enacted to coordinate statewide outreach, education and advocacy towards Vietnam Veterans who suffered health complications from exposure to Agent Orange. Since that time, several illnesses or diseases have been linked to the exposure, such as Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Leukemia, Ischemic Heart Disease, Prostate Cancer, and a number of other serious medical issues. Today, many Gulf War era and post-9/11 Veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn are suffering from illnesses that may have been caused by exposure to open-air burn pits. Many open-air burn pits were operated close to where many soldiers were housed during wartime. This legislation will create a voluntary registry of self-identifying service members and veterans who have been exposed to burn pits. The registry will be created and managed by the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA). The LDVA will be responsible for informing those in the registry about recent scientific developments on the effects of exposure, availability of possible treatments, applying for service-connected disability compensation benefits with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as appealing an existing or requesting an upgrade to a disability rating given by VA. Senator John Smith will author this legislation. Some of todays younger Veterans are experiencing serious health problems caused by their exposure to open-air burn pits used in Afghanistan and Iraq, states Louisiana State Senator John Smith. Much like our Vietnam Veterans who suffered because of exposure to Agent Orange, these Veterans are struggling to have their health issues addressed and recognized at the Federal level. This legislation ensures that the injustice suffered by our Vietnam Veterans is not repeated and that the Veterans who fight today are recognized, cared for in a timely manner and are provided with every resource available to them.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Mar 2014 01:39:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015