VFW to Deliver 2023 Priority Goals on Capitol Hill
National commander and delegates to amplify ‘Every Veteran Counts’ message to Congress
WASHINGTON (March 4, 2023) — More than 400 members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and its Auxiliary converge on the nation’s capital this week, for the annual four-day Legislative Conference March 5 – 8. Delegates from all 50 states will meet with their respective members of Congress to press upon them the need to support veterans, service members and military families.
“It is great to be back in D.C. for a full in-person legislative conference,” said VFW National Commander Tim Borland. “After years of pandemic restrictions, we are finally able to walk the halls of Congress and deliver our petitions face-to-face with our elected officials.”
Also returning to Washington, D.C., is the VFW’s Voice of Democracy Parade of Winners. Each year, nearly 25,000 ninth through 12th grade students from across the country enter a democratic and patriotic-themed essay to win their share of more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program. The national first place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school.
“I look forward to seeing all of those bright, young Americans and hearing their expressions of patriotism,” Borland said. “They give me faith that the future of our country is great hands.”
One of the culminating events of the conference is the commander-in-chief’s testimony set for March 8 at 10 a.m. (EST) before a special joint hearing of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs held at the Cannon House Office Building.
“Advocating for veterans rights is the most important thing that a commander-in-chief will do during their term,” Borland said. “Last August, we helped push the PACT Act into law that will help more than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxics during their service. This year, I will continue to press forward our priorities for the rights and benefits of our veterans, service members and their family members.”
Borland is prepared to discuss the VFW’s top priorities for 2023. These key legislative priorities include:
- Concurrent Receipt/Passing the Major Richard Star Act.
- Predatory Claims/Passing the Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act, known as the GUARD VA Benefits Act.
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) increase for surviving dependents.
- Economic opportunity’s role in preventing suicide.
- Improved transition of service members to civilian life.
- Recognition of NATO defense for service members deployed to eastern Europe.
Many of the priorities have carried over from the VFW’s previous year’s agenda. However, some are a direct result of Borland’s travels since becoming the VFW’s national commander, to include visits with service members in Europe.
“We must not forget we still have troops deployed around the world,” Borland said. “I recently made a trip out to Poznan, Poland, and visited with the senior leadership of U.S. military forces deployed to NATO’s eastern flank. Asking Congress to recognize them for this crucial mission to defend our NATO allies and deter aggression is the least we can do for our brave service men and women.”
Led by Borland, the VFW has made a concerted recruiting effort to increase membership numbers and motivate members to continue participating in the type of grass roots advocacy, such as Action Corps, that proved successful with the passing of the PACT Act.
“We have pushed hard to recruit more members into our organization over the past seven months,” Borland said. “It is because of our numbers that our voice stays strong, ensuring Congress hears us loud and clear that ‘Every Veteran Counts.’”
Read the VFW’s complete list of 2023 Priority Goals here.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will livestream this year’s testimony on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs YouTube channel here. Visit vfw.org/VFWDC2023 for all legislative conference updates.
Media Contact: Rob Couture, VFW Washington Office Director of Communications and Public Affairs, 202.374.9998, RCouture@vfw.org.
The goals of the Legislative program are to keep members up-to-date on all issues and pending bills relating to veterans, their dependents, active-duty military, and national security; to let legislators know our views regarding such legislation; and hold them accountable for honoring America’s promises to veterans.
History
The Legislative program got its start in 1928, at which time it was called Legislation. As the years have gone by, the Auxiliary VFW has progressed greatly with letter-writing, personal contacts, e-mails, and invitations to legislators to attend our functions so that we can share our views with them and they can tell us their positions on veterans’ issues.
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Click below to see program materials
VFW Action Corp Weekly link: VFW Action Corps Weekly – VFW
It is posted in our National VFW Auxiliary website under the Program & Publicity Page along with other VFW Auxiliary National Programs.
Department of NH VFW Auxiliary Legislative 2022-2023
Be An Advocate-Be Informed-Be Engaged
February General Information
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope everyone is well. It was nice seeing auxiliary members at both the January C of A as well
as those who made it to the Scholastic Banquet. At the C of A I touched base on the importance
of signing up for Action Corps and provided a summary of the bills that came before the house.
This month I wanted to focus on the initiative taken by our brother and sisters of the North
Haverhill Auxiliary and how they worked with their local school to educate the younger
generation on the voting process. I asked that they provide a brief summary of what they did
when working with the school in the hopes that it may help other Auxiliaries do the same in their
community. Below is the summary:
The principal started the civics lessons with the breakdown of the different branches of
government. After the primary they worked together to educate the kids on the voting process
which involved registering to vote and deciding what party to choose or to choose
undeclared. They explained that we are one of only a few states to allow undeclared voters to
vote in a primary and what this can mean to the balance of power. The students then
registered to vote. The principal made up a checklist with the students names, etc. Ballots for
the general election were printed and on Mon Nov 7 the students came to the polling place in
Warren and went through the process of stating their name, showing student id and being
checked off the checklist. They received a ballot which they then took into polling booth to fill
out. They then stated their name, were checked off the checklist as having voted and turned in
ballot for counting. They did an excellent job and learned a lot.
The members of the Auxiliary who participated were Donna Hopkins, Legislative; Tammy
Fortier, Youth Activities and Janice Sackett, Patriotic Instructor. This educational program can
be reported for each of the programs listed after the auxiliary names as it does apply to each
program.
This is a great example of how our Auxiliaries can work with the local schools to educate the
youth in the Legislative process while also stressing how important it is to vote in representatives
who will work for our veterans and their families. Great job North Haverhill, I am hopeful that
your efforts will pay off when these kids reach voting age.
Is your Auxiliary caught up on reporting? Do not forget that you should report when you have
emailed representatives, taken action and/or read Action Corps, shared any legislative
information with your auxiliary.
Next month I will be sharing the legislative victories we have seen over this past year.
Tammy L. Baker
Department of NH VFW Auxiliary
Legislative Chair 2022-202