Two congressmen from Florida--Republican Tom Rooney and Democrat Ted Deutch--are bringing back a proposal to protect veterans against fraud that the U.S. House passed without opposition last year.
Rooney and Deutch brought out the “Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act” back in March. Then U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., was also a co-sponsor of the bill. The House passed the bill in a 411-0 vote last year.
The bill proposes increasing penalties on conmen targeting veterans by charging illegal fees for help in appealing a claim with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If the bill becomes law, violators would face fines and prison sentences up to five years.
However the bill went nowhere in the Senate. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sponsored the bill in that chamber back in September but it failed to cross the finish line by the end of the year.
Rooney, who sits on the House Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, taught at West Point and served in the Army, reintroduced the bill with Deutch on Thursday.
“We reintroduced this bill to ensure that anyone who seeks to financially exploit the men and women who have served our country, and cheat them out of their hard-earned VA benefits, will face a harsh punishment for their criminal actions,” Rooney said. “This bill will aid law enforcement as they crackdown on these despicable crimes, and will also protect veterans, and their families, from financial predators. I am determined to see this bill enacted into law in the 115th Congress and I’m confident with Congressman Deutch we can make that goal a reality.”
“I’m proud to re-introduce this legislation with my Florida colleague Congressman Rooney,” said Deutch. “After all they have given to our country, we cannot leave our veterans defenseless against scam artists. Confusion about benefits often leaves veterans and their families as open targets for fraud and abuse. This important measure will make these shameful acts a punishable offense to protect the well-deserved pensions of those who have protected us. With unanimous approval by the House of Representatives last Congress, I urge swift consideration of this bipartisan legislation by both chambers.”
