Porter Votes in Favor of Troops, Veterans, and the Unemployed
May 15, 2008
Washington, DC- Today, Rep. Porter applauded House passage of a series of amendments that will provide critical funding for American troops, bolster education benefits for veterans and strengthen the safety net for workers facing layoffs.
‘The priorities of today’s votes were to extend unemployment benefits to our jobless workers, address the needs of our troops based in Iraq and Afghanistan and boost education benefits for our veterans,” Porter said.
To advance a war spending bill, which will provide important funding for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, three amendments were brought to the floor for three separate votes on: troop funding (Amendment #1), war policy provisions (Amendment #2), and domestic spending (Amendment #3.)
Amendment #1 provides $183.8 billion to assist troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; Amendment #2, calls for the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin within 30 days and be completed within 18 months and Amendment #3 expands the education benefits in the GI bill to adequately support members of the Reserve and National Guard, and provides an additional 13 weeks of assistance for those who have exhausted state and federal benefits during times of high unemployment rates. Porter voted in favor of Amendment #1 and Amendment #3.
Porter is an original cosponsor of the Post 9/11 Educational Assistance Act and H.R. 5749, the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act which mirrors the provisions included in Amendment #3.
“This amendment will go a long way in assuring when our troops return home from duty they have the resources available to build a future for themselves and their families,” Porter said. “With the slowing economy in Southern Nevada it is critical to provide for an extended insurance period for individuals who, through no fault of their own, have lost their job.”
