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Legislation would aid veterans, families

Sanford Herald - 3/23/2019

March 23-- Mar. 23--WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have reintroduced the Newborn Care Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation that would double the number of days veterans receive care for their newborns from 7 to 14.

Currently, a veteran must find outside healthcare within one week of a child's birth or the baby will not have health insurance, according to a news release from TIllis' office.

"This bipartisan legislation justly increases the number of days veterans receive care for their newborns so families can have adequate time to find healthcare for their children," he said.

Tillis and Klobuchar have been active in the Senate in efforts to help members of the military, the release said.

In September, Tillis and Klobuchar worked to see that provisions based on their Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act were included in the Senate and House-passed Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. The bipartisan legislation will create a Center of Excellence in the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on researching the health effects associated with burn pits and treating veterans who become sick after exposure.

In 2018, Tillis and Klobuchar introduced the Savings for Service Members Act, which reduces the minimum amount of mileage members of the National Guard and military Reserves must travel before they can be compensated, the release said. Each month, members of the National Guard travel to complete their required duty training and typically pay for travel out of their own pocket. Currently, members can only claim their mileage and other travel expenses on their taxes if they travel more than 100 miles from their residence for training or if travel expenses exceed 2 percent of a soldier's adjusted gross income. The act reduces the mileage to 50.

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