Illinois State House District 61 issued the following announcement on March 2
Veterans and returning military members would have better access to health care, employment and other services and opportunities under proposed legislation from state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee. To expand on this legislation, Mason will address efforts to establish a Veterans’ Bill of Rights and its intended impact at Mission BBQ located at 6430 Grand Ave. #101 in Gurnee on Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m.
“Veterans who proudly served our country deserve the highest quality of support and care when they return home, yet Illinois continues to lag behind other states in helping service members access college degrees, jobs, housing, and physical and mental health care,” said Mason. “This bill will help ease veterans’ transition to civilization life by addressing the most pressing issues they face.”
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Illinois ranks eighth in the U.S. for veteran unemployment and is the 25th-highest for veteran poverty. To better ensure Illinois is meeting the needs of its veteran population, Mason’s House Bill 4903 would establish a bill of rights for veterans that includes comprehensive support programs for those who served. This legislation requires the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to make efforts to increase loans to veteran-owned small businesses, provide better access to health care coverage and services, and implement strategies to prevent veteran suicide and end veteran homelessness. Mason’s bill also calls for a review of how military training and experience counts toward academic credit and professional licensing requirements in Illinois.
“People who have served in the military are exposed to training and circumstances that most people will never experience. My bill will lead to greater opportunities for success in life after active duty, leveraging military skills for employment and healing emotional scars through support services,” said Mason. “Veteran homelessness and suicide are serious problems across the country, and Illinois needs to take initiative to prevent them from happening.”
For additional information, please contact Mason’s constituent service office at 847-485-9986 or email info@repjoycemason.com. You can also visit Mission BBQ’s official website at https://mission-bbq.com/ for more information about how they serve the community’s veterans and advocate for veteran rights.
Original source can be found here.
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