Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide support to law school clinical programs and provide pro bono legal and support services to veterans, including assistance with disability claims and appeals and foreclosures. The House passed this amendment last year.

There are already at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans' legal needs, including William and Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which serves as a national model for this idea and was the first recipient of the ``best practice'' award for the VA.

There are many other law schools, such as the University of the District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law that are interested in starting their own VA certified clinics. More needs to be done to sustain and increase the number of these programs.

I was a tenured professor of law and continued to teach a seminar after being elected to Congress. I saw the expert attention that clinical programs provide their clients.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, a concrete measure that would assist our veterans who put their lives on the line for this country.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendments en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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