Good News! LEARN ABOUT: 7 Passed Laws That Help Everyone!

I put a LOT of work and research into today's blog to make it easy for YOU to understand 7 helpful pieces of legislation that were passed over the last 2 years.    **PLEASE Take the time to read this and share it** 

    This is how the government is supposed to work. Both sides coming together to make things happen to benefit the people throughout the country.   Today's GOOD NEWS blog is a list of them, followed by a summary of what they DO! - 

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According to NBC News,  President Biden has racked up more bipartisan legislative victories than nearly anyone expected two years ago. 

The list includes: 

1) Infrastructure Package  

2) CHIPS and Science Act, 

3) Large Expansion of Veterans Benefits in the PACT Act, 

4) Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, 

5) Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 

6) Postal Service Reform Act 

7) Respect for Marriage Act

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WHAT DOES IT DO / WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? 

1) Infrastructure Law- It makes our communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks, with an investment of over $50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization. new roads, bridges and other construction projects, basic materials, industrials and transportation.  it will add on average 1.5 million jobs per year for the next 10 years. 

2) The CHIPS and Science Act -  Lower Costs, Create Jobs, Strengthen Supply Chains, and Counter China. It has strengthened American manufacturing, supply chains, and national security, and invest in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future to keep the United States the leader in the industries of tomorrow, including nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.

3) The PACT Act and Veterans Benefits- President Biden has signed into law over 25 bipartisan bills that address some of the most important issues facing veterans today, including the landmark PACT Act to address toxic exposures. On education, housing, and health care 

A) Since enactment, more than 137,000 toxic exposure-related claims have been filed and more veterans are now eligible for health care.

B) 31 new clinical sites will be opened and more providers hired to deliver the care. 

C) The Department of Defense (DOD) also announced updates to its policies related to burn pits – thereby decreasing exposure for troops in the future. 

D)  VA awarded $52 million in grants for 80 community-based organizations to deliver or coordinate suicide prevention programs and services for veterans and their family members. E) In July, 2022 the 988 Veterans Crisis Line went live to provide veterans and their loved ones an easy to remember number to help veterans in crisis.

F) The number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined by 11% between 2020 and 2022 – the largest decline in the last five years 

G)  The U.S.is on track to permanently house 38,000 veterans in 2022 alone.

H)  VA awarded $130 million to support programs to help veterans and their families find stable housing.**

4) Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act - Biden wrote and championed the groundbreaking Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as a U.S. Senator, landmark legislation that first passed in 1994.  In the nearly three decades since, he has worked with Members of Congress from both parties to pass legislation to renew and strengthen VAWA three times: in 2000, 2005, and 2013.

A) Increased funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services 

B) Reformed the military justice system to address sexual assault, harassment, and related crimes 

C) Ended forced arbitration for sexual assault and harassment

D) Directed action to protect students from campus sexual assault. 

E) Increased resources for survivors of crime, including gender-based violence. 

F) Prioritized the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, including gender-based violence. 

G) Strengthened regional leadership on violence against Indigenous women and girls.

5) the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act  A) the first major legislation to address gun violence in nearly three decades B) New Innovation Agenda Will Electrify Homes, Businesses, and Transportation  C) Lower Energy Bills D)  Achieve Climate Goals

6) the Postal Service Reform Act - establishes the Postal Service Health Benefits Program, repeals the prefunding requirement related to Postal retirement benefits, makes reforms to nonpostal and postal services, among other things. 

 7)  Respect for Marriage Act - A) will give peace of mind to millions of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples who are now guaranteed the rights and protections to which they and their children are entitled. B) Establishes statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages and repeals provisions of law that once prevented any State or territory from being required to give effect to a same-sex marriage from another State or territory. C) The act allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.

In the News: President Biden signs bills to honor veterans, improve VA healthcare

 Here's another great piece of legislation that President Biden signed into law- this one benefits ALL Veterans (including those who supported Trump). Take note of this Veterans!!

President Biden signs bills to honor veterans, improve VA healthcare

  By Rachel Tillman Nationwide PUBLISHED 5:37 PM ET Jun. 07, 2022

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a slew of bills aimed at honoring veterans and improving their care, telling those gathered in the State Dining Room the government was fulfilling its “sacred obligation” to protect those who gave up so much in defense of the country.

QUICK READ:

* President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a series of nine bills aimed at honoring veterans and improving their care 

* The Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act expands mammogram eligibility for veterans who may not have been exposed to toxic burn pits 

* Another bill will extend a two-year program, set to expire next month, to compensate World War II veterans exposed to radiation

A separate bill will name a new out-patient clinic set to be opened in Oahu, Hawaii as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic “You've heard me say it many times before – our nation has many obligations, but it only has one truly sacred obligation,” Biden said. “That's to prepare and equip those we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home. It's a sacred obligation. Because veterans are the backbone, the spine, of who we are as a country.”

The nine bills signed by the president passed Congress with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. Biden was flanked by senators from both parties as he signed the legislation into law, including Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and moderate Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

NEW BENEFITS

Some of the legislation focuses on improving veterans’ access to healthcare. The Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act expands mammogram eligibility for veterans who may not have been exposed to toxic burn pits, which will allow more individuals to receive the potentially life-saving screening. A separate bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul its breast cancer screening and treatment services entirely. Yet another bill will extend a two-year program, set to expire next month, that compensates veterans who developed “cancer and medical conditions from the nation's World War II-era nuclear programs,” Biden said Tuesday. 

BIDEN FAMILY HAS LONG CONNECTION TO MILITARY

 The Bidens have a long, personal connection to the military. Dr. Biden’s father, Donald Jacobs, served in the Navy during World War II; President Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden, who Jill also raised, served in both the United States Army and the Delaware Army National Guard before his death from brain cancer in 2015.

Beyond healthcare, Biden signed a number of highly symbolic or commemorative bills. One was to name a new out-patient clinic set to be opened in Oahu, Hawaii as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic. Akaka, whom Biden on Tuesday called a “great friend” and “one of the finest people I’ve ever served with,” was in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II.

He later went to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1991 and was the first Native Hawaiian to serve as Senator beginning in 1991. Akaka passed away in 2018.

Another bill will award a Congressional Gold Medal to all of the Army Rangers who served in World War II, who Biden said “played a critical role in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.”

Monday marked the 78th anniversary of D-Day, when nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations landed on the beaches of France to liberate the region from the clutches of Nazi Germany.

“On behalf of our nation, we're gonna thank them for their heroism and their service,” the president said.

Before signing the series of bills, Biden took a moment to address veterans and their family members directly.

“We can never fully repay the debt to all of you. But I promise that my administration will always have your back,” he said, adding: “This is something we Bidens take personally. Every veteran and family member of a veteran who serves has made our lives, our liberty and our very nation possible. We owe you, we owe you and we thank you.” The Associated Press contributed to this report