The PTSD bill SOFREP covered has made progress on the Hill. The Bill, H.R. 5600, the No Hero Left Untreated Act with a bipartisan showing of 33 co-sponsors is moving forward. On September 21, 201, H.R. 5600, the No Hero Left Untreated Act, was reported favorably to the House by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, as amended. Rep. Knight, who introduced bill, released this press release:

“A bill by Representative Steve Knight (CA-25) that would help veterans recover from “post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and sexual trauma is one step closer to becoming law after it passed out of committee on Wednesday.

H.R. 5600, the No Hero Left Untreated Act, was introduced by Rep. Knight in June. The bill would establish a pilot program with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) based on a promising new neurological treatment called Magnetic eResonance Therapy technology, or Mert technology. On Wednesday the bill was considered by the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where it passed with unanimous, bipartisan support.

“Providing veterans with new and innovative technology to treat service-related mental trauma is a top priority for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the No Hero Left Untreated Act is a positive step toward addressing that need,” said House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller. “I applaud Representative Knight’s leadership on this issue and look forward to continuing to work with him to ensure that our veterans have access to quality care and services.”

Since its introduction, the No Hero Left Untreated Act received considerable bipartisan support, including over twenty co-sponsors and endorsements from American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Blue Star Families.

“The No Hero Left Untreated Act would expand on a promising technology that could bring relief to our heroes, and I am pleased that it is moving forward,” said Knight. “I thank House Veteran Affairs Committee Chairman Miller for the committee’s consideration and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this important effort.”

The No Hero Left Untreated Act passed the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday with unanimous support. It now awaits consideration on the House floor.”

Right now, a companion bill in the Senate is in-progress. more to follow in the coming weeks.

A bill (S. 2234) to award the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in recognition of their superior service and major contributions during World War II is delayed in the House Financial Services Committee. The bill was introduced by Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri on November 4th, 2015. The bill then passed the Senate on February 22, 2016, moving to the House for consideration. The House has not brought the bill to the floor for a vote despite anticipation to the contrary. According to sources on the Hill, the bill is likely to pass by the end of 2016. Only 21% of bills have made it past committee from 2013-2015. However, this bill has a strong chance to make it. But, it won’t be on anyone’s preferred timeline. SOFREP will reach out to congressional communication teams for official responses and updates on the OSS Bill. More to follow. 

FYI: According to GovTrack.us here are some factors that give this bill a high percentage of passing the House.

Factors considered:

  • A cosponsor is the ranking member of a committee to which the bill has been referred.
  • A cosponsor is the chairman of a committee to which the bill has been referred.
  • The bill was referred to Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  • The sponsor is in the majority party, and at least one-third of the bill’s cosponsors are from the minority party.
  • A cosponsor in the majority party has a high leadership score.
  • At least two cosponsors serve on a committee to which the bill has been referred.

Featured image courtesy of themetapicture.com.

(If there are any military, veteran, or SOF related bills you would like SOFREP to investigate, please let us know)