Dear Friends,

Last week I penned an opinion editorial in The Military Times discussing the problem of veteran homelessness and highlighting some of the great work that non-profit organizations in our local communities are doing to combat this grave issue.

Veteran homelessness is an issue that is often overlooked and should make all of us pause. As our economy continues to boom under this administration, we need to do more to ensure that our veterans share in our collective success. I am unambiguously committed to that cause.

This issue impacts all of our communities across the country. We see our veterans on street corners across America in ragged clothing with tattered signs in hand. Their cardboard confession reads, “Homeless Vet, Please Help” and while their presence may cause a sympathetic reaction or feeling of guilt, we make every effort to avoid eye contact.

Welcome Home in Columbia, Missouri, is working to honor veterans and restore their lives. While Welcome Home does offer a transitional shelter, they do so while providing much more than a bed. Their support efforts are individualized and aimed to connect veterans with VA benefits, health care and recovery services.

Ending veteran homelessness is not just about providing a safe place to sleep. For some veterans at risk of homelessness, all they need to turn the corner is access to the disability benefits they earned during service.

The University of Missouri’s School of Law Veterans Clinic serves this need by providing pro bono legal assistance to help veterans with benefits claims and discharge upgrades. By assisting with the cumbersome legal process, Mizzou’s clinic and the 25 other university offices like them, provide veterans with the compassionate and effective representation they deserve — but may not be able to afford.

These, and many other non-profit organizations dedicated to serving our veterans are doing amazing work. It is my hope that more people get involved and give their time to helping our most needing veterans.

The prayers of a lot of people in several Mid-Missouri communities have been answered with the announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the Major Disaster Declaration for Missouri of July 9th has been amended to include three counties from Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District.

FEMA announced this week that Boone, Cooper, and Howard Counties are now eligible for Public Assistance (PA) funding. These federal dollars can be used for emergency work and repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. All three of these counties suffered as a result of flooding from heavy rains and the swollen Missouri River and its tributaries.

I had the opportunity to visit some of the affected areas in June and to see the damages first-hand. It was wonderful to see the people of communities such as Rocheport pulling together to make sure sandbags were in place to protect homes and businesses from the rising floodwaters.

The exact amount of FEMA funding that will be headed to these three counties has yet to be determined. The next step will see the counties working with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to complete the paperwork that is necessary to the decision-making process. For the time being, a good many Mid-Missourians are welcoming this announcement with open arms!

Oct. 1 marked one year before Missourians have to have REAL ID-compliant licenses in order to pass through TSA checkpoints in all national airports. If you have not updated your Missouri driver’s license to the edition that is REAL ID-compliant, then you will need to provide an additional form of federal identification, including a valid U.S. passport or a Passport Card.

According to the Missouri Department of Revenue:

REAL ID-compliant licenses and ID cards were not available in Missouri until March 25, 2019; therefore, if you renewed your Missouri-issued license or ID card before then, you will be able to use it for REAL ID purposes until October 1, 2020, even though it is not REAL ID-compliant. If you will require a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card as of October 1, 2020, you can apply for one by requesting a duplicate transaction prior to the October 1, 2020 compliance date.

For additional information, I encourage you to visit https://dor.mo.gov/drivers/real-id-information/.

This week marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was announced. Speaker Pelosi and the House Democrats have had the ability to bring this agreement to the House floor for a vote from the day they took power of the House of Representatives. Despite it having broad bipartisan support and is undoubtedly beneficial to hardworking American families across the country, they have refused to bring it to a vote.

The agreement is a great deal for Missourians and for all Americans, bringing 176,000 new jobs and spurring $63 billion in new economic activity. It will open up markets into Mexico and Canada, which will be a massive boost for Missouri’s agricultural exports.

I urge my colleagues across the aisle to bring this important agreement to a vote and work with President Trump and his administration to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented. We should not be allowing political grandstanding to get in the way of this agreement.

Constituent Update

My staff recently attended the dedication ceremony for Columbia College’s latest capital project. the New Hall is both a residence hall for 150 students and includes the Robert W. Plaster School of Business.

The funding was a gift from the Robert W. Plaster Foundation, whose mission is to promote expanded educational opportunities, pride in America, and belief in the free-enterprise system. I am so proud of the colleges and universities in our district and the educational opportunities they are providing.

Students at Waynesville Middle School recently participated in a service learning project that involved information on how to correctly fold small flags into pocket flags. In addition, students included a small note in packets to be delivered to deployed or soon to be deployed service members all over the world.

The idea came from The Pocket Flag Project at www.pocketflagproject.com. It involves learning about the U.S. flag and the sacrifices of our military. Volunteers fold and package flags to send to our front line and deployed troops. Included with each flag is a card that says: “A flag for your pocket so you can always carry a little piece of home. We are praying for you and we are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and our freedom.” What a wonderful project for students to embrace.

A large crowd of students considering applying to one of the U.S. Service Academies took part in my recent Academy Information Day open house in Lebanon. Service Academy graduates were on hand to speak to the students about the hard work and great rewards that come from attending one of these fine schools.

The application process for the graduating class of 2024 has closed. But if you are interested in learning more about the process, you can learn about requirements, deadlines, and other information by clicking here. You can also contact Rachel Gilroy in my Harrisonville office at 816-884-3411.

Finally, I want to congratulate Geoff Jones, who has been sworn-in as Police Chief of the City of Columbia. I met Chief Jones back in May of 2016 when I joined him for a ride along in a Columbia police unit to see some of the things our men and women in blue face every day. Chief Jones grew up in Columbia and has served on the force for 21 years. I am confident the Columbia Police Department is in good hands with him at the helm.

Yours in service,

Vicky Hartzler

Member of Congress

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