REFERENCE TITLE: veterans' homes; tribal lands |
State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-second Legislature Second Regular Session 2016
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HCM 2005 |
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Introduced by Representatives Hale, Andrade, Benally, Cardenas, Fernandez, Rios, Saldate, Wheeler: Alston, Barton, Bolding, Clark, Gabaldón, Gonzales, Larkin, Mach, McCune Davis, Mendez, Meyer, Velasquez, Senator Bradley
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A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL
urging the united states congress to enact legislation that would extend construction reimbursement and per diem to veterans' homes on tribal lands.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
To the Congress of the United States of America:
Your memorialist respectfully represents:
Whereas, under current law, tribal governments are not eligible for reimbursement of costs to build a veterans' home on tribal land or to receive per diem for care provided to eligible veterans in such a veterans' home; and
Whereas, 38 United States Code section 101 restricts such reimbursement and per diem to state veterans' homes that are located on land owned by the states, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
Whereas, the Navajo Nation has approved funding to construct a veterans' nursing care home for eligible veterans in Chinle, Arizona, yet such a home would not qualify for construction reimbursement or per diem that a similar home on nontribal land would receive; and
Whereas, the disadvantage facing proposed tribal veterans' homes can be rectified by changing the current rules to extend the 65% construction reimbursement and per diem to tribal homes that are certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and that meet the same standards as a state veterans' home.
Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
1. That the United States Congress enact legislation that would change the applicable law to allow construction reimbursement and per diem to veterans' homes on tribal lands.
2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.