WNIJ Report - Foster Cosponsers Veterans Gas Relief Bill

Original Broadcast: July 15, 2008

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Transcript:

A few weeks ago in West Dundee, Army Veteran Beatrix Owens met with Congressman [Bill] Foster. She told him that the money she was being reimbursed for her health care related traveling was not enough.

Foster: So when I got back to Washington, I found legislation to address this problem had already been introduced. And so I signed on and will be one of those in Congress who will be fighting to make this a reality.

If passed, the Veteran’s Travel Equity Act will more than double the mileage reimbursement veterans receive for health care related travel, going from 28.5 cents per mile to 58.5 cents per mile.

Foster says the current gas prices were the main imperative for this bill. He says that if a salesperson can write off his or her mileage, a veteran deserves to as well. Foster also adds it will be a struggle to get the bill in during the final weeks of congress, but he certainly intends to be one of those people working on it.