By Ed Sterling

On June 12, the state Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations met in Pasadena, Texas, to get input from military veterans in the wake of the records falsification scandal at U.S. Veterans Affairs-run facilities.

Also on June 12, Gov. Rick Perry recommended that slow service at VA facilities be remedied by allowing veterans to get health care needs met at non-VA facilities. Several health care provider groups responded, expressing interest in expanding health care options to veterans, the governor’s office stated.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, who chairs the Senate committee, has recommended the creation of a hotline “to help Texas veterans deal with long wait times and VA bureaucracy.”

After the hearing in Pasadena, Van de Putte stated, “While our reality is that the VA is a federally run and funded agency that serves Texas residents, that does not mean that Texas cannot ensure our veterans are taken care of in the honorable way they deserve and have earned. Ultimately, Washington needs to fix the VA’s problems, but in the meantime, Texas will focus on the immediate crisis: Getting medical care to our heroes.”

EPA plan to be reviewed

Federal carbon emissions rules proposed last month will be reviewed by the Texas House Committee on Environmental Regulation, Speaker Joe Straus said June 11.

The Obama administration’s plan, to be administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions nationally by 30 percent, as compared to 2005 levels, by 2030. Because individual states may have to reduce more than 30 percent in order for the country as a whole to meet that threshold, Texas faces a reduction of 39 percent, Straus said.

“It’s important for legislators to understand the potential impact of this federal mandate, not only on the cost and availability of electricity, but also on the broader Texas economy,” Straus said. “The committee’s work will guide the House’s approach to this issue in next year’s legislative session and the seriousness of these proposed rules demands that we start working on that approach soon.”

“The House will work with a range of stakeholders to make sure that Texas responds to these regulations in a prudent and responsible way,” Straus added.

Ed Sterling works for the Texas Press Association and follows the Legislature for the organization.

edsterling@texaspress.com