YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on Aug. 16 discussed several bills to help struggling veterans, particularly those without housing and those affected by PTSD.
State legislators have introduced several bills to support these veterans, including a measure that would fund housing for a year and a measure that would allow the judicial system to take PTSD into account in post-conviction sentencing reviews.
Multiple state representatives attended the meeting to listen to veterans’ groups’ concerns, including State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans (D-York), who introduced HB688, and State Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester), a co-sponsor of the corresponding SB677.
“Veterans just mean a great deal to me,” Hill-Evans said. “They are the ones that have raised their hands and made a sacrifice.”
In 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that there were nearly 900 homeless veterans in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers said that number has decreased over the past five years, but that they wanted to do more to help veterans in need.
