ARMED FORCES NEWS
AMVETS Blasts Proposed Vets Day Change
August 10

AMVETS Blasts Proposed Vets Day Change

The National Commission on Federal Election Reform wants                                                                                  to combine Veterans Day and Election Day into one national holiday, and AMVETS commander Arthur C. Stahl calls the idea "an affront to those who have worn our nation's uniform." The commission, whose co-chairs include former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, proposes to shift Veterans Day in even-numbered years to "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November and serve as our Election Day." Stahl said, "Congress established this date to commemorate the end of World War I fighting on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and the symbolism inherent in that special date holds deep significance for veterans of all wars."

New Bill Would Speed DoD-VA Health Cooperation Nineteen years after Congress called for increased cooperation between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs on health matters, things are still moving slowly. So House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Smith, R-N.J., has taken a step to speed them up. His bill, the DoD-VA Health Resources Access improvement Act of 2001, would direct the agencies to agree on five sites that have health care facilities close enough to permit cooperative operations. Both agencies would be authorized to waive regulations and policies that might impede the project. They would be required to submit a joint "prospectus" within two years for the construction of a new, more accessible and unified federal health care facility in an area where both agencies need a replacement facility.

TO HCVC HOME PAGE

TO ARCHIVES