Supporting Our Troops and Veterans

Suzanne Kosmas is dedicated to helping our brave men and women in uniform. Throughout her career, Kosmas has supported efforts to relieve the burden of service on our troops and veterans. Kosmas knows that one of our greatest patriotic duties is to only send troops into harm's way when absolutely necessary and to do everything possible to support them upon their return. Too often we hear about troops who return to inadequate medical care, dire financial circumstances, and a difficulty readjusting to civilian life.

While politicians in Washington have continued to send billions to Iraq for reconstruction, our brave men and women have been shortchanged here at home. It's time to change our priorities and stand up for our Servicemembers.

In Congress, Suzanne Kosmas will support:

• Amending the Service Member's Relief Act to protect veterans and Servicemembers from eviction and foreclosure on their properties. This amendment would increase the protection from foreclosure for active duty troops from 90 days to one year and provide the time needed for troops to reintegrate into civilian life
• Too often our troops returning from war are confronted with inadequate medical care and a backlogged health care system. Kosmas supports fully funding all veterans' services and making sure that all veterans are screened upon completion of their tours of duty for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries. Additionally, Kosmas supports extending the time that a veteran can seek mental health services for free from 2 years to 5 years.
• Too many troops continue to make inadequate wages, and military families struggle to make ends meet. Some even make such low wages that they qualify for food stamps. Kosmas supports raising military pay and will support an additional troop bonus for all Servicemembers held after their enlistment period.
• Our troops have been sent into battle without all of the necessary equipment and in many circumstances troops and their families have been forced to pay for their own body armor and additional equipment. Kosmas will fight to make sure that the funding is available to ensure that all soldiers have all of the equipment needed, including additional mine resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.
• Orlando is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a VA hospital in operation forcing veterans to travel long distances for needed care. Kosmas will fight to make sure that all funding needed to complete the construction of the hospital on time are allocated and available.

Kosmas's Record Supporting our Troops and Veterans

• Kosmas Co-Sponsored Military Service Family Relief: In 2003, Kosmas co-sponsored a bill that authorized credits against the sales and use tax and the corporate income tax for salaries paid to military reservists on active duty. The bill also would have authorized the Department of Revenue to adopt emergency rules to implement the relief. The bill did not become law. (HB 419, 2003 Florida House of Representatives)

• Kosmas Co-Sponsored The Florida Uniformed Servicemembers Protection Act: In 2003, Kosmas co-sponsored the Florida Uniformed Servicemembers Protection Act which provided benefits to military members serving on active duty or state active duty. The bill would have prohibited retaliatory action by a landlord for termination of a rental agreement by a servicemember; prohibited a landlord from discriminating against a servicemember in offering a dwelling unit for rent or in any of the terms of a rental agreement; provided conditions under which a servicemember may terminate his or her rental agreement; revised liability of a servicemember in the event of early termination of a tenancy; revised provisions relating to rights during leave to provide that the employing authority must adhere to the provisions of the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act; revised provisions with respect to supplemental pay for reservist officials and employees called to active military service; required an employing authority to continue to provide all health insurance and other existing benefits; and provided other benefits. The bill did not pass. (HB 1475, 2003, Florida House of Representatives)

• Kosmas Co-Sponsored Resolution Honoring National Guard: In 2003, Kosmas co-sponsored a resolution honoring the National Guard and designating April 1, 2003 as the "Florida National Guard Day". The resolution passed unanimously. (HR 9089, 2003, Florida House of Representatives)