VAN DREW BACKS VETERANS CALL FOR VETERANS SPECIFIC SENATE PANEL

ASSEMBLYMEN SAYS STAND ALONE COMMITTEE WOULD REDOUBLE UPPER HOUSES COMMITMENT TO MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM 

(First Legislative District) -- Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew today threw his full support behind a call from members of the state's Veterans of Foreign Wars who contacted him to urge creation of a new Senate committee dedicated solely to issues important to New Jersey's military veterans and their families.

"The needs of New Jersey's military veterans require the Legislature's undivided attention and singular focus," said Van Drew (D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland), candidate for Senator from the First Legislative District. "As New Jersey's men and women in uniform come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is clear that this latest generation of veterans will increasingly face new challenges. The veterans who have contacted me are absolutely correct in that the Senate needs to ensure that their needs are never lost in the legislative shuffle."

Van Drew said he would make the creation of a stand-alone Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee among his first priorities if elected to the Senate.

Currently, veterans' issues are dealt with by the Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs Committee. Van Drew noted that while the committee has ably handled veterans' issues through its hybrid role in the past, the increasing importance of non-veterans' issues --including gang violence and illegal immigration -- underscores the need to split the panel into two separate committees.

The Assembly has its own Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Van Drew said that the concerns of the state's growing number of military veterans -- most importantly ensuring quality long-term health care -- require the singular focus that could only be provided by a veterans-specific legislative committee.

"The best way we can repay our veterans is to ensure that they and their families always have a strong voice in the Legislature," said Van Drew. "A Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee would be a strong and unwavering advocate for the men and women who have served our nation."

New Jersey is home to more than 600,000 military veterans. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of New Jersey and Ladies Auxiliary represent more than 70,000 members.