Congressman Garamendi Stands with Disabled Veterans in Co-Sponsoring Equal Access to Air Travel Bill
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, cosponsored the Equal Access to Air Travel for Service-Disabled Veterans Act, H.R. 164.
Under current law, most active military and veterans, some military family members, and members of the Red Cross are allowed to travel on military aircraft if space is available. Unfortunately, 100% disabled veterans do not currently have access to this travel benefit. H.R. 164 fixes this unintentional injustice by modifying the Space Available Program to include 100% disabled veterans. If this bill is enacted, 280,000 disabled veterans would finally have access to the same military aircraft travel that their peers enjoy.
Congressman Garamendi said, “100% disabled veterans put their lives on the line for our nation, and they paid a steep price for their valiant service. There’s a lot more we can and should do for these American heroes. Giving them equal access to the travel benefits enjoyed by their fellow veterans is an easy decision. I’m a representative of thousands of veterans who live near two major Air Force bases, and it’s a privilege to cosponsor H.R. 164.”
Text of H.R. 164 is available here. The National Federation of the Blind has a more thorough summary of the legislation here.
The 3rd Congressional District, which Congressman Garamendi represents, includes Travis and Beale Air Force bases.