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ARMED FORCES NEWS |
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| When Congress took its Independence Day recess, the discharge petition on Rep. Mike Bilirakis' (R-Fla.) H.R. 303 (full concurrent receipt, to end the disabled veterans tax) had 201 signatures. This was 17 short of the 218 needed to move the bill to the House floor for debate and vote. Only one of the 201 signers is a Republican, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado. Not even Rep. Bilirakis has signed the petition. Does this make it a partisan issue? The Military Officers Association of America says no, stating that it is only a partisan issue if politicians choose to make it so. Indeed, H.R. 303 has wide co-sponsorship, with 171 Republicans, 173 Democrats, and one Independent signed on. A MOAA official says, "We have to remind legislators that their first duty is to their constituents and not to their party leaders." | |
