[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 865 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 865
Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of
veterans from the great State of Texas.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 13, 2023
Ms. Crockett (for herself, Mr. Fallon, Mr. Allred, Mr. Babin, Mr.
Carter of Texas, Mr. Casar, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr.
Cuellar, Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Ellzey, Ms. Escobar, Mrs.
Fletcher, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas,
Ms. Granger, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee,
Mr. Luttrell, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Moran, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Self,
Mr. Sessions, Mr. Veasey, and Mr. Weber of Texas) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of
veterans from the great State of Texas.
Whereas the United States of America owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to
the brave men and women who have served in its Armed Forces,
safeguarding liberties and upholding the democratic principles upon
which the United States was founded;
Whereas the country observes November 11 of each year as ``Veterans Day'', a
Federal holiday honoring the men and women who served and sacrificed for
the United States of America;
Whereas Texas boasts a proud tradition of producing remarkable veterans who make
extraordinary contributions to society;
Whereas Texas is home to more than 1,600,000 veterans;
Whereas veterans comprise 15 percent of the population in the State of Texas;
Whereas women comprise more than 11 percent of the total Texas veteran
population;
Whereas people of color comprise roughly one-third of the veterans in Texas;
Whereas Texas has 11 veterans currently serving in the 118th Congress as
Representatives for the Lonestar State;
Whereas Texans have served with distinction in all military conflicts involving
the United States of America, including World War I, World War II, the
Korean war, the Vietnam war, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm,
Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom;
Whereas more than 22,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in World War II;
Whereas more than 1,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Korean War;
Whereas more than 2,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Vietnam war;
Whereas more than 100 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Enduring
Freedom;
Whereas more than 400 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Iraqi
Freedom;
Whereas veterans across the country continue to face challenges in accessing
essential resources supporting their successful transition to civilian
life;
Whereas Texas is home to countless medical facilities of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, including Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, the
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the Kerrville VA Hospital, Doris
Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Dallas VA
Medical Center;
Whereas nearly half of patients served by the Veterans Health Administration
have been diagnosed with a mental illness or substance use condition;
Whereas post-traumatic stress disorder has accounted for the majority of
disabilities women veterans suffer from as a result of their military
service;
Whereas veteran mental health struggles have led to staggering statistics in
veteran suicide rates, where roughly 17 veteran lives are lost per day
as a result of suicide;
Whereas, in 1994, Congress established the Center for Minority Veterans and the
Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans under the Veterans' Benefits
Improvements Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-446) to advise to the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs on administering Department of Veterans Affairs
benefits for minority veterans by reviewing reports and studies on
compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefits
and services administered by the Department, and ensure all veterans
receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender;
Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that more than
31,000 veterans are homeless, with nearly half experiencing unsheltered
homelessness;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed several housing
assistance initiatives, including integrating increasing voucher use and
accelerate housing placements, increasing veterans' access to legal
services through legal services grants and community partnerships, as
well as assisting with advancing veteran employment within the labor
force to address the complex problems surrounding homeless veterans;
Whereas Texas leads the Nation in both overall veteran-owned and women-veteran-
owned businesses; and
Whereas, despite gains with veteran-owned businesses, roughly two-thirds of
veterans struggle with the transition from military service to civilian
life, and note that ``finding a job'' is one of the greatest challenges
in doing so given the difficulty with transferring their military skills
to a civilian work environment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the service, sacrifice, and contributions Texas
veterans and their families have made to the cause of peace and
freedom around the world;
(2) commits to working with, where proper, the Department
of Veterans Affairs and appropriate executive agencies to
ensure that veterans are provided timely care and are given the
benefits and compensation they are entitled to as a result of
their service;
(3) reaffirms the commitment of Congress to assisting
veterans with their transition to civilian life upon concluding
their service in the Armed Forces; and
(4) recognizes that Congress must continue to invest in
vital programs and resources to support the brave men and women
veterans who have safeguarded the Nation's liberties and upheld
democratic principles at home and abroad.
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