This week you may have seen an email newsletter from me about the upcoming U.S. Service Academy informational meeting. Hosted by Congressman Larry Buschon, the meeting will take place this Saturday, April 18th at the Vincennes University Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Attendees will learn about the details of becoming a service academy cadet including the application process, congressional nominations and the daily routine of cadets. Personally, I was pleased to learn about this event because my son has expressed interest in attending a U.S. Service Academy. The meeting will give him and other students the chance to talk to representatives from five different academies as well as hear about Congressman Buschon’s ability to nominate students for these academies. You can find more information about this meeting here. As a legislator, I always support legislation that I feel protects our veterans and service members. This session, I voted in favor of legislation that provides further protections for our service men and women by suspending or postponing certain obligations while they are on active duty. Titled the Service Member’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA), all military members including Indiana’s National Guardsmen and Reservists are covered under this bill SCRA helps unburden our service members who are defending our country as they will be able to suspend debt collections, foreclosures, evictions and more. Additionally, the bill will protect Indiana service members from scams and includes protections from state-specific obligations not covered at the federal level. The goal of this legislation is to relieve the unnecessary stress that could be placed on our Hoosier military members. When members of the military return home, they must become reacquainted with civilian life including applying for jobs. I supported a bill that will benefit our Hoosier veterans as they work to develop their careers. This legislation provides for a voluntary veterans’ preference policy for hiring, promoting or retaining a veteran in private employment. The unemployment rate for veterans continues to be well above the national average as each year approximately 160,000 veterans are discharged and looking for work. The members of our military deserve to have opportunities to apply and enter into the fields they see fit. The goal of this bill is to help reduce the unemployment rate and provide an avenue for veterans to find work after their service has been honorably completed. It was a pleasure to work on an issues directly impacting our Hoosier veterans and service members. There are a variety of topics covered in the legislation we vote on, but I was especially proud to support each of these bills and more importantly the heroic men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect our American freedoms. Legislation supporting our service members This week you may have seen an email newsletter from me about the upcoming U.S. Service Academy informational meeting. Hosted by Congressman Larry Buschon, the meeting will take place this Saturday, April 18th at the Vincennes University Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Attendees will learn about the details of becoming a service academy cadet including the application process, congressional nominations and the daily routine of cadets. Personally, I was pleased to learn about this event because my son has expressed interest in attending a U.S. Service Academy. The meeting will give him and other students the chance to talk to representatives from five different academies as well as hear about Congressman Buschon’s ability to nominate students for these academies. You can find more information about this meeting here. As a legislator, I always support legislation that I feel protects our veterans and service members. This session, I voted in favor of legislation that provides further protections for our service men and women by suspending or postponing certain obligations while they are on active duty. Titled the Service Member’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA), all military members including Indiana’s National Guardsmen and Reservists are covered under this bill SCRA helps unburden our service members who are defending our country as they will be able to suspend debt collections, foreclosures, evictions and more. Additionally, the bill will protect Indiana service members from scams and includes protections from state-specific obligations not covered at the federal level. The goal of this legislation is to relieve the unnecessary stress that could be placed on our Hoosier military members. When members of the military return home, they must become reacquainted with civilian life including applying for jobs. I supported a bill that will benefit our Hoosier veterans as they work to develop their careers. This legislation provides for a voluntary veterans’ preference policy for hiring, promoting or retaining a veteran in private employment. The unemployment rate for veterans continues to be well above the national average as each year approximately 160,000 veterans are discharged and looking for work. The members of our military deserve to have opportunities to apply and enter into the fields they see fit. The goal of this bill is to help reduce the unemployment rate and provide an avenue for veterans to find work after their service has been honorably completed. It was a pleasure to work on an issues directly impacting our Hoosier veterans and service members. There are a variety of topics covered in the legislation we vote on, but I was especially proud to support each of these bills and more importantly the heroic men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect our American freedoms.