President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law H.R. 2938, the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation meant to protect disabled veterans from debt collectors which was introduced earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA-06).
In May McBath joined with Florida Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL), to introduce the bill, which safeguards disable veterans and their families by amending bankruptcy law to exempt disability benefits paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) from the reach of creditors. This brings those benefits in line with Social Security disability benefits, and will help keep vets financially secure during times of economic hardship.
Said McBath on the legislation, “Veterans should never be penalized for the injuries they sustained in service to our country. I introduced this bill because our disabled veterans have earned their benefits, and it’s our duty to stand up for them if they fall on tough times.”
“I’m proud that this Congress was able to work together across the aisle to support our veterans. Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues in the House and the Senate, these protections are now law. I hope we can continue to work together to make positive change, and I look forward to taking more bipartisan action with the Senate and the President to stand up for those who served, safeguard veterans and their families, and provide commonsense solutions for all Americans.”
HR 2938 was praised by veterans groups throughout the country, including The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. It passed both the House and Senate by voice vote, (meaning it was taken unofficially because it passed in a landslide) before heading to Trump’s desk. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and John Cornyn (R-TX), carried the bill in the Senate.
It is the sixth piece of legislation introduced by McBath since taking office in January, and the first to pass into law. Having her name attached to a universally praised bipartisan piece of legislation, particularly one aiding disabled veterans, will surely be a boost to her re-election bid in 2020. A crowded field of Republicans, including former Rep. Karen Handel and state Sen. Brandon Beach, are ramping up their campaigns ahead of next May’s primary to fight for the right to face McBath in November’s general election.
