Washington news in brief

Westerman shines light on dyslexia

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., invited dyslexia experts and advocates to the Library of Congress on Tuesday for a briefing titled: "The Science of Reading: Understanding Dyslexia."

The event attracted parents of children with dyslexia, as well as former National Hockey League defenseman Brent Sopel, a member of the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks.

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., also spoke about the importance of helping students overcome learning challenges.

Westerman's interest in dyslexia is long-standing.

"I credit my wife [Sharon] for that. It's a passion of hers," the lawmaker from Hot Springs said. "She taught in the public schools, she saw the negative effects of children with dyslexia not getting the interventions they need, and she really piqued my interest in it."

"As a special-education teacher, she's focused a lot of her studies on the science of reading," he added.

Before representing southwest (and a slice of Northwest) Arkansas, Bruce Westerman served on the board for the Fountain Lake School District.

Hill, a former Little Rock banker, spoke of two people he knows who had confronted learning challenges. One was a boss he had decades ago, he said.

The man was brilliant but struggled with written communication, he said.

"I could not figure out why he never read anything I sent him," Hill said. "Every meeting was verbal. Every decision that he took was verbal. Every command he gave ... was verbal."

Years later, the man's mother told Hill how her son had struggled and how they had worked together to overcome his learning challenges.

"She had gone to class with him every day at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and taken the notes for him. Because he was a brilliant person and he is a brilliant, successful businessman to this day. ... But he had a mom who went to class with him and took his notes."

Cotton remembers little 'army man'

River "Oakley" Nimmo, born on May 6, 2014, told people that he wanted to be an "army man" some day, and he sometimes dressed the part, sporting a helmet and camouflage clothing, firearms and even a toy grenade.

Fighting was second nature for the Camden boy -- he'd battled and beaten cancer most of his life.

His parents, Colton and Shelby Nimmo, sought out the best cancer treatment they could find and shared his story on a Facebook page titled "Prayers for Oakley Nimmo."

After his death, his family invited service members and veterans to wear their uniforms to his funeral. Dozens accepted the invitation.

The Army National Guard posthumously promoted Oakley to honorary colonel last month. And Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., gave a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the story.

"Oakley was sent off from this world like a true soldier, to the moving tune of taps played by a military bugler," Cotton noted.

"Colonel Nimmo's tour of duty on this Earth was brief, but he did teach an important lesson to all of us. At times some voices may express doubts about our military, but Oakley reminded us as perhaps only a child could that being an Army man -- a brave protector of our nation -- is one of the highest honors to which an American can be called," Cotton added.

Two bills focus on veterans matters

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., introduced two bills last week dealing with veterans-related matters.

One addresses Veterans Affairs Home Loan Guaranty Program fees that were improperly collected from disabled veterans. The fees aren't supposed to be collected from veterans who qualify for VA disability compensation. Nonetheless, the fees were collected from 72,900 such veterans -- $286.4 million in all, Boozman has said, citing the VA Office of Inspector General.

Thus far, 53,000 people have not received refunds. The total amount outstanding is $189 million.

The legislation, if approved, would require Veterans Affairs to provide Congress with a plan for identifying those who are owed money and a timeline for repaying it.

The lawmaker from Rogers is working with U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to secure passage of the legislation.

The two senators have also teamed up on another bill, aimed at expanding access to training for those overseeing federally funded state VA cemeteries.

Currently, the National Cemetery Administration provides free training at its national training center in St. Louis. However, the VA doesn't cover travel costs to the site, a barrier for financially strapped state and tribal entities.

If approved, travel costs would be classified as an allowable expense, enabling existing grant programs to cover them, Boozman's office said in a news release.

"Making it easier for cemetery personnel to learn the procedures and nationwide standards is commonsense so we can honor the men and women who served our country in uniform with the tribute they deserve," Boozman said.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.

A Section on 07/14/2019

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