Senator’s bipartisan legislation, which now moves to the U.S. House, extends
American Legion membership for veterans who served in undeclared conflicts
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate approved the LEGION Act—the first Senate bill sponsored by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema. The bill now moves to the U.S. House.
The LEGION Act—supported by the American Legion and cosponsored by Senator Thom Tillis (N.C.)—extends American Legion membership to honorably discharged veterans since World War II. Currently, only veterans who served during periods of declared hostilities are able to join the Legion.
“Ensuring our veterans get the benefits they’ve earned isn’t a partisan issue, so I am glad to see both parties in the Senate come together to support our commonsense legislation. Senate passage puts us one step closer to opening up American Legion membership to thousands more brave former servicemembers. I’ll keep working with both parties to get this bipartisan bill through the U.S. House and signed into law,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“The passage of the LEGION Act by the U.S. Senate is a clear message of the respect they hold for The American Legion. We are thankful to Senator Sinema for leading this effort, and to Senator Tillis for joining her. Passage of the LEGION Act will permit The American Legion to honor the military service of so many. We encourage the House of Representatives to pass this veteran-centric legislation swiftly, just as their Senate colleagues have done,” said American Legion Commander Brett P. Reistad
Sinema has spent her career in Congress leading the fight for Arizona’s veterans, and she continues to do so in the Senate. Recently, the U.S. Senate passed her bipartisan Protecting Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act, which safeguards veterans from predatory loan practices and helps them more easily access their earned homeowner benefits.
While in the U.S. House, Sinema cosponsored the VA MISSION Act, which is now law. The VA MISSION Act helps veterans receive care when they don’t live near a VA facility or when the VA can’t provide them with timely or specialty medical care. Sinema has also led the charge to reform the VA by being an original cosponsor of the VA Accountability Act and by supporting the VA Choice Act, both of which were signed into law. Additionally, Sinema worked with the family of Sgt. Daniel Somers, an Arizona veteran who lost his life to suicide, to introduce and successfully get signed into law the Sgt. Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act which ensures veterans who serve in a classified capacity can get private counseling from the VA.
As a member of the Republican-controlled U.S. House, Sinema successfully secured bipartisan support for and passed into law more than 30 bills—including five bills focused on veterans’ care and benefits.
