More
Hoosier
Common
Sense
Coming
to
D.C.
President
Trump
nominated
Dr.
Jerome
Adams
to
serve
as
our
nation’s
Surgeon
General.
The
President
would
be
hard-pressed
to
find
a
more
exceptional
person
for
this
position.
As
our
Indiana
State
Health
Commissioner
and
a
highly
regarded
anesthesiologist,
Dr.
Adams
has
devoted
his
professional
life
to
serving
our
state
and
caring
for
Hoosiers,
and
he
has
a
been
great
resource
and
friend
to
my
team
and
me.
I
look
forward
to
voting
to
confirm
him.
An
important
fix
for
the
Post-9/11
G.I.
Bill
In
2016,
ITT
Technical
Institutes
filed
for
bankruptcy
and
closed
all
136
campuses
in
38
states
–
after
receiving
$917
million
in
Post-9/11
GI
Bill
funds.
This
permanent
closure
left
student
veterans
unable
to
reallocate
education
benefits
elsewhere.
A
bipartisan
group
of
my
colleagues
and
I
introduced
the
“Veterans
Education
Relief
and
Reinstatement
Act
(VERRA)”
to
expand
the
U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs’
(VA)
authority
to
restore
the
Post-9/11
GI
Bill
benefits
of
veterans
who
are
affected
by
the
permanent
closure
of
ITT
Tech
or
other
institutions.
Currently,
the
VA
cannot
fully
restore
a
veterans’
benefits
if
a
school
they
attend
permanently
closes.
The
G.I.
bill
has
helped
many
veterans
make
the
leap
to
their
next
career
in
civilian
life.
However,
that
has
not
been
the
case
for
all
veterans.
This
bill
gives
the
VA
Secretary
the
necessary
flexibility
to
ensure
that
veterans
are
able
to
achieve
their
education
goals
despite
unforeseen
circumstances
that
are
out
of
their
control.
The
discipline
and
work
ethic
of
our
military
men
and
women
is
unmatched.
They
are
assets
to
any
business
or
organization
they
join
and
I
will
continue
to
work
to
ensure
that
they
have
every
opportunity
possible.
Keeping
a
promise
to
our
veterans
As
part
of
my
commitment
to
reforming
the
way
the
Department
of
Veterans’
Affairs
conducts
business,
Senator
Ted
Cruz
and
I
introduced
the
"VA
Information
Technology
Restructuring
Act"
this
week.
It
would
modernize
the
VA’s
IT
infrastructure
in
a
manner
that
will
better
equip
it
to
ensure
our
veterans
receive
the
utmost
quality
health
care.
The
bill
establishes
that
a
Chief
Information
Officer
(CIO)
be
appointed
to
the
Veterans
Health
Administration
(VHA)
to
modernize
outdated
software,
and
provide
necessary
oversight
regarding
the
procurement,
acquisition
and
management
of
the
VHA's
IT
systems.
The
current
system
is
not
getting
the
job
done,
and
in
some
cases
preventing
our
Veterans
from
receiving
the
care
they
were
promised
and
deserve.
The
missing
medical
equipment
scandal
at
the
Roudebush
VA
center
in
Indianapolis
and
the
ongoing
problems
with
implementation
of
the
VA's
$543
million
real-time
locating
systems
demonstrate
the
desperate
need
for
reform
of
information
technology
systems
and
procedures
at
the
VA.
By
creating
the
CIO
position,
this
bill
promises
to
improve
accountability
at
the
VA
and
supports
Secretary
Shulkin's
reform
efforts.
I
will
keep
you
posted
on
its
progress.
A
Mother's
Request
Lise
Pace’s
son
is
leaving
for
his
first
deployment
with
the
82nd
Airborne
out
of
Fort
Bragg,
N.C.
soon.
She
stopped
by
my
office
for
a
meeting
on
an
entirely
separate
issue,
but
when
she
asked
if
I
could
give
him
a
call,
it
was
my
privilege
to
oblige.
To
the
men
and
women
of
the
82nd
Airborne
Division:
I
wish
you
a
successful
mission
and
a
safe
return;
you
–
and
your
families
–
will
be
in
our
prayers.
One
More
Thing
Before
You
Go...
I’d
like
to
wish
you
and
your
family
a
happy
Independence
Day.
The
4th
of
July
is
a
day
to
celebrate
our
liberties,
our
freedom,
our
shared
values,
and
our
country.
Thank
you
to
the
men
and
women
in
uniform
who
have
defended
these
cherished
gifts
these
past
241
years.
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