I’m pleased my legislation, H.R. 5029, was included in the STRONG Veterans Act and was approved by the full House!  Along with a number of other important provisions to connect more veterans to critical mental health resources, this package includes a bill I introduced to allow the families of servicemembers and veterans that have died by suicide to have access to Vet Center mental health services.  The families left behind by those whose lives were ended so tragically should not have to endure the difficult journey toward recovery alone with nowhere to turn.

Click here or on the image below to hear why I introduced this legislation and the reasons I voted for the STRONG Veterans Act.

The gun control legislation that recently passed Congress and was sent to the President for his signature to become law erodes the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.  I am concerned the bill encourages red flag laws without due process and indiscriminately throws resources at programs without sufficient guardrails to ensure the funds are only used to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms and not law-abiding citizens.  In fact, I anticipate a future Supreme Court will strike this law down as unconstitutional for those reasons.

There is no single or simple solution to address heinous acts of violence perpetrated by teenagers or anyone else, but addressing root-causes, increased mental health resources and improving security in our schools would, I believe, have the most meaningful, immediate, and positive impact — not restricting Second Amendment rights.

“We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.” — Ronald Reagan