WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, five bills that were supported by Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) to help American veterans, their families, and surviving spouses passed the U.S. House of Representatives. All five bills garnered strong bipartisan support and are headed to the Senate.

"It’s crucial that Congress continues to provide our nation’s uniformed heroes and their families, including surviving spouses, with the support they’ve earned following their service," said Rep. Peters. "These bills will ease the challenges faced by the hundreds of thousands of veterans, transitioning service members, and their families living in San Diego. I am proud to have helped pass these proposals, not only because each would help our veterans in San Diego, but because they also illustrate a commitment made by both parties to join together to support our veterans.”

The legislation passed included:

• H.R. 2227, the Gold Star Spouses and Spouses of Injured Servicemembers Leasing Relief Expansion Act, which would extend home and car leasing protections by allowing spouses of critically injured servicemembers to terminate property and automobile leases.
• H.R. 3749, the Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act, which would establish Veteran Affairs (VA) grants for organizations that provide legal services to homeless or at-risk vets, assisting veterans facing certain legal issues that could lead to homelessness.
• H.R. 4852, the GIVE Act, which would require the VA to provide additional information for the GI Bill Comparison Tool, important to veterans who are in the process of deciding where to attend college.
• H.R. 561, the Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act, which would protect veteran-owned small businesses by penalizing businesses who take advantage of the Vets First Program, and reducing the fraud and abuse in federal contracting.
• H.R. 4613, the VA Reporting Transparency Act, which would require the VA to launch and maintain a website that includes all public reports to Congress, increasing transparency and accessibility to better serve the veteran community.

Rep. Peters is a co-sponsor of the Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act, and has long been an advocate for the homeless veteran community. His bill, the Veteran HOUSE Act, was passed out of the House with broad bipartisan support in January.