Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William ``bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2326, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William ``Bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my friend from Texas, Mr. Jodey Arrington. Mr. Arrington was a friend of Mr. Mulder and represents his hometown of Plainview, Texas.

William Mulder, or Bill as his friends knew him, passed away nearly 2 years ago on June 9, 2017. He was a decorated Navy SEAL of 20 years whose awards included three Bronze Stars with Valor. He was also a father, husband, brother, and friend.

This legislation honors him by better equipping servicemembers for the challenges and opportunities they will face as they transition from Active Duty military service to civilian life. Far too often, the men and women of our Armed Forces lack the support and coordinated resources they need to return to civilian life and we cannot leave them behind. We owe it to those who have served and their families to ensure that they have everything they need to connect with community organizations, to pursue educational opportunities, to launch new careers, or to start their own businesses. That is why we must improve the Transition Assistance Program.

This bill would extend a pilot program for off-base transition training, allowing veterans and their spouses more time and convenience to digest and access resources.

It would also create a grant program for organizations to provide multiple transition assistance services such as resume assistance, interview training, and job recruitment training from a central source.

We can also improve the program by expanding access to better employment data at the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs, which this bill does.

And, finally, it is important that we are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program, which is why this bill would require a 1-year independent assessment and a 5-year study of the program.

We have a solemn duty to ensure that our Nation's heroes are able to readily access the best possible services when it comes time to transition back to civilian life.

I do not believe that we are living up to that duty right now, but this bipartisan bill will help change that. I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote in support today.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my friend, and our original cosponsors: Mr. Cisneros; ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, Mr. Bilirakis; Mr. Cunningham; and Mrs. Lee.

Together, we can do more than pay lip service to our veterans. We can give them the support and the resources they have earned and deserve.

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